Evergreen
by BunBunBabe
Summary: Sequel to Thorn of a Rose and Twisted Game of Love, Peter and Neal are moving on with their lives for the better. More Mozzie and Keller than you can shake a stick at in this story. Plz read and review. Slash and some language and abuse of Neal.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Neal, who's at the door," Kramer called as he walked out of the kitchen and saw Peter standing outside. Walking over to his CI he stood behind him and put his hand on Neal's shoulder and squeezed it hard. "Why don't you get us a couple beers," he said leading Peter into the house and shutting the door. Nodding his head Neal walked into the kitchen and grabbed two bottles of beer and brought them back to the agents. Peter took the beer and looked at his fiancée as he looked away. "So Petey, what do you think of my new place? I moved in just last month… I was just lucky that this place allows pets," Kramer said with a smirk as Neal walked by and took a seat on the footstool on the other side of the room. Peter ignored the comment and opened his beer and drank it slowly. "I think it's a decent place, not much else to say about it…" Peter commented in hopes that Neal would look at him again.

Kramer looked over and smirked "Neal go upstairs and don't come down until I call you," he said as Neal quietly stood up and walked out of the room and walked up the first flight of stairs and sat down to listen. "Peter… what are you doing here anyway and on a work day no less?" Kramer asked with a smirk. "Doesn't matter if it's a work day or not I walked out of the office so I basically quit after I found out you had Neal and that Hughes signed him away. Now I can't tell you to give Neal back but I want to hear it from you that everything that happened was because of you," Peter said hoping Neal was still within earshot.

"Fine I'll admit it, I stole your cell number and texted Caffrey to trick him into coming back to America…it's not my fault he was too stupid to realize that it wasn't you," Kramer said as he finished his beer. Peter restrained himself from assaulting another agent and stood up. "Neal is not stupid and he never would have had to run if you didn't back him into a corner with the necklace," Peter said putting his half-drunk beer down on the coffee table. Neal silently cursed as he sat there. Getting up from the stairs he walked back into the living room and stood there. "You lied to me, you told me Peter gave me up to save his own skin," Neal said as he looked at the older agent. "I want to go home… right now," Neal demanded.

Shaking his head Kramer stood up. "That's not going to happen, for one Peter isn't an agent any longer and he can't take custody of you and two it's too much paperwork to send you back right now besides you're only mine for a year. Apparently you've done so much good it's outweighing your bad deeds you seem to keep doing which is beyond me," Kramer said as he grabbed the beer bottles and brought them to the kitchen. Peter followed his former mentor into the kitchen.

"This is stupid; you treat Neal like he's a criminal constantly, and like he's your personal slave. You know the only reason he ran was because you backed him into a corner, I could have warned you he would do that," Peter said standing across the island counter. "If he had just told me the truth about who stole it we could have made him a deal but of course he kept that information to himself to protect himself and I'm guessing you as well. You know you two have broken a lot of rules. I saw the ring… its nice…it's too bad you two can't get married until either he or you don't work for the FBI anymore and I have no intention of letting him go back for a while," Kramer said with a smirk.

Neal walked into the kitchen and kept his head down and walked over to Peter and stood beside him. Peter put a protective arm around Neal and held him close so Neal was flush against his side. Unhappy with the two getting so close again Kramer cleared his throat. "Well since we have nothing else to talk about I'm going to have to ask you to leave Peter, I'll walk you to the door," Phillip said as he watched Neal's face fall. Peter slowly pulled away from his lover and held his hand as they walked toward the door. "I'm going back to New York but I promise to get all of this fixed," Peter promised as he felt Neal's hand slip into his coat pocket. Moving away Neal sat down on the stairs and watched Peter leave and Kramer shut the door.

Turning around Kramer walked over and stood over Neal to show he was still the alpha male in the house. "Did that get your hopes up at all?" Kramer asked with a smirk. "Nope… because I know that Peter will be able to get me out of here," Neal said as he stood up on the stairs so he was standing over the older agent with a defiant smirk on his face as he walked past the agent and dropped onto the couch where he wasn't allowed to sit. "Get off of there you know the rules of the house," Kramer said instantly hating the new defiant streak in Neal. "I don't think so and I'm going to be doing what I want around here because I'm not wallowing in self-pity anymore and you don't scare me," Neal said as put his feet up on the coffee table and draped his arms over the back of the couch like he owned the place. Pushed to the edge Kramer walked over and grabbed Neal by the hair and pulled him to his feet with such a force that Neal's eyes widened in fear.

"That's the look I like to see… if you're not going to show me respect by your own free will then I'm going to put you in constant fear of me," he growled as he pulled Neal upstairs and into his room. "Stop… you're hurting me…"Neal cried out as he was dropped on the floor hard. "You made your point…I'll listen" Neal pleaded as he pushed himself away so his back was against the side of the bed he knew he had to make quick work of the damage he caused "Too late to talk your way out of this one Caffrey you might think just because your good looking and have a quick tongue you can talk your way free but not this time you're going to get the punishment you should have gotten all your life," Kramer said as he grabbed the front of Neal's button-up shirt and ripped it open pulled it off his arms before discarding it behind him.

Grabbing his belt Kramer started to pull it off and let it hang down. Panicking Neal struggled to get to his feet only to lose his footing and fall against his bed; but before he could right himself he cried out in pain as something stuck his back. Stunned by the initial blow Neal looked over his shoulder just as the metal buckle of Kramer's cheap twenty dollar belt struck him again with the metal roller catching on his skin and cutting him. Feeling his mind snap Neal moved just as another swing came, causing Kramer's blow to miss and giving himself time to get to his feet while he backed up as far as he could into the corner of the room. Backing out of the room Kramer stood there with a smirk and pulled his phone out of his pocket as he kept the belt in his dominant hand to use when needed. Chatting on the phone for a few minutes Kramer left the room and locked the door behind him.

Fifteen minutes later he returned flanked by another agent. Neal looked up and pushed himself back against the wall when he saw who the agent was "Josh…" Neal said in a breathless tone as he pressed himself further into the corner. Josh smirked and cracked his knuckles as he entered the small room and grabbed the ex-con by the neck and threw him onto the floor using his full weight to hold him down. Neal thrashed around out of fear as he tried to get free; his fear increased as he felt his legs pushed down and tied together with plastic cable ties before his wrists were tied together as well using the leg of the bed to keep him from pulling his arms free. Whimpering in fear Neal struggled to get off the floor but before he was able to get to his knees the belt came down on his back again and again.

When it was over Neal kept his head down out of fear that moving would cause more of a beating. Kramer put his belt down and left the room for a few minutes before retuning. "Now this will only pinch for a moment, this is only a precaution in case you get that bracelet off…" the older agent said as he crouched down and grabbed the nape of Neal's neck and squeezed to get a hold of the muscles before slowly piercing the skin with a needle and pushing down on the plunger. "This is an animal tracking microchip, just making sure you stay out of trouble so much better," he said with a chuckle as he put the needle down and picked up a bottle of rubbing alcohol. "I don't want you to catch an infection Caffrey or you won't be able to do your job," he said as he crouched down and opened the bottle and soaked a cotton ball with alcohol and began dabbing at the open wounds before roughly slapping bandages on the cuts.

Josh sat and watched as Neal squirmed and hiss with pain as his wounds were taken care of. When Kramer was done the cable ties were cut and Neal was finally allowed to sit up. Josh smirked as he watched Neal as he climbed up onto his bed to lie on his stomach until his back and neck stopped hurting. Kramer and Josh left the room and locked the bedroom door. Neal held himself together only until he heard the door lock then he allowed the first tears to fall as he gave in to his pain and hopelessness and cried himself to sleep.

Sleeping uncomfortably Neal woke in the early morning hours. Getting out of bed slowly Neal moved carefully as he tried not to jar his healing wounds. Moving in the dark room aided only by the street light outside Neal found his way to his bedroom door only to find it still locked. Sighing in annoyance he moved carefully back to his bed and lay on his stomach again. Wishing he still had his cell phone Neal moved his hand to the back of his neck and rubbed his neck where Kramer had injected the microchip. _I'm nothing more than a pet to him… I miss Peter I should have just left with him…_ Neal thought as he waited for Kramer to let him out of the room. When the door finally opened Neal felt his eyelids were too heavy to keep open.

"Wake up we're going to work in twenty minutes," Kramer said as he walked over and noticed that the younger man was actually asleep. Deciding it would be too much trouble to wake the ex con he grabbed the blanket from the end of the bed and put it over Neal's sleeping form before he left and decided to work from home so he could make sure Neal didn't try anything. Going downstairs he made himself a cup of coffee as he set up his laptop and began to open his files on his work computer.

After lunch Neal woke up and found that his bedroom door had been unlocked. Neal headed downstairs to get something to eat and found his handler sitting at the table typing on his computer. As he walked towards the refrigerator Kramer looked up at the computer. "Before you even think of touching my food you have to earn it. You are to clean the house, wash my car and get started on those reports you owe me still before you eat anything today...so get going," he ordered with a smirk. Neal looked around and saw the stacks of dishes and the thin layer of dust. Neal sighed before walking to the sink where he first removed his engagement ring off before he started to wash the dishes. By the time he was done he felt his neck was stiff. Grabbing a dish cloth he began to dry the dishes while his stomach began to growl When Kramer heard the growling he reminded Neal with the order, "You do not get to eat until you finish, now get back to work!" Kramer watched Neal as he put his ring back on before going to clean up the rest of the house.

When the living room was dusted and the rug vacuumed Neal winced as he pulled the healing skin and ripping the wounds open; stopping to take a break to rest Kramer walked into the room and showing no mercy ordered, "Keep cleaning unless you want me to take my belt to you again," which motivated Neal to grab the duster and slowly reached up to dust the bookshelves above his head. By quarter passed three Neal finished the first floor and dropped back onto the couch pain shooting up his back. Ignoring the shot of pain he lay there to regain his energy. Kramer walked out of the kitchen and looked at the ex con on his couch. "Get off my couch…unless you want another beating," he warned as Neal rolled off the couch and made his way upstairs to clean.

Once the second floor was finished Neal dragged himself downstairs and began to dig through the fridge looking for something to eat. Grabbing a few things he sat at the table. "Do you have enough money to pay me for this?" Kramer asked as he looked at the small stack of food on the table. Neal looked up and shook his head no. "Oh well then… you don't get any food until you can pay me," he said pulling the food away. "I worked hard you said I could eat if I cleaned your house," Neal said as he pushed himself to his feet. "No I said you had to clean my house, wash my car and do the reports now get to work on my car before it gets dark," he ordered as he pushed Neal toward the back door that led out to the parking lot and shoved a war hoodie into his arms. Groaning at the clenching his stomach did he took the cleaning supplies and made his way over to the agent's car.

Washing the car carefully to avoid hurting himself again Neal looked up from the tire and found Kramer watching him like a hawk. As he watched Kramer watch him he saw the older man go inside when the phone rang. Taking that as his cue he dropped the sponge in his hand he left the parking lot as quickly as possible and crossed the street and picked up the pace down the sidewalk. Jogging down the block he came to the Safeway grocery store and cutting across the parking lot he slipped into the store and relished in the warmth coming the heater as he entered the store. Moving down the aisle he looked at the selves of food and wished he had some money. Walking down another aisle Neal walked into a small crowd of people and resisted the urge to pick their pockets.

Sticking his hands in the hoodie pockets Neal walked through the group and made his way out of the store and walked over to the bare wall and gingerly sat on the cold concrete as a cold January breeze swept through the under hang. Neal groaned put his arms over his chest to keep himself warm. Lost in his own thoughts he didn't hear the older woman walk up to him. "Oh you poor thing, you look hungry… no money?" she asked as Neal looked up and shook his head no. Smiling she put her bag down and pulled a bag of mini potatoes dinner rolls out of her bag and handed them to the ex con. "Here you go… I just bought these for just in case but you need them more than I do," she said with a smile. "Don't eat too quickly or you'll make yourself sick," she said still smiling.

Looking up from the bag in his hands he nearly dropped it when he saw Kramer walking up the parking lot and stopping in front of him. Swallowing hard he felt his throat go dry. "Neal… did you pay for those?" he asked not hiding the tone in his voice. "No… and I didn't steal them either this lady gave them to me," he said softly his voice dropping along with his eyes. "Give them back and get off the ground your embarrassing me," he said as he grabbed Neal by the arm and pulled him to his feet roughly. Neal held onto the rolls like a life raft for a moment before handing them back. "Thanks anyway…" he said softly as he was pulled away and back toward Kramer's house. "You're lucky I'm tired… or you would be getting another beating now get upstairs and go to bed…oh and we have to be at the office by seven tomorrow you can do your reports tomorrow and for the rest of the week, we're going to be on a stake out for a while," he said as he pulled Neal inside and watched him go upstairs.

The week long stake out had turned into two weeks, in those two weeks Neal had managed to finish all his paperwork perfectly in two days the rest of the time he kept himself quiet by studying a large manual on how to get one's GED. Kramer watched Neal perched on his chair in the back corner of the van. As the other agents got really to slip out to get lunch again, Neal bit his bottom lip to keep quiet as they ask if he wanted anything. When the lead agent wasn't around he always accepted. "No I'm good… I had a big breakfast," he lied as he buried his nose back in the book as the agents left leaving the ex con alone with his handler.

"I thought you had money still?" Kramer asked not taking his eyes off the monitors. "I did but you took what I had left to pay for gas for your car," Neal said a hint of venom in his voice. Before the agent could respond his phone rang, talking for a few minutes he hung up. "Apparently the man we've been watching for boarded a plane an hour and a half ago…and he got off in New York. Neal looked up and beamed at the news he knew that they would be going to New York as well to make the arrest. Kramer looked at Neal and grabbed him by the arm and pulled him out of the van just as the other agents returned. "We're going, go home pack a bag quickly we're headed to New York," he ordered as the team. Heading home Neal rushed up to his room and packed everything he owned into his bag and left with his handler. They quickly made their way to the airport and met up with the other agents and boarded the FBI jet just before it took off.

The flight seemed to be over in the blink of eye, as they were landing Neal held onto his bag tightly as he disembarked the plane and saw Diana waiting for the team of four. She kept her shock hidden at the sight of how thin the ex con was. Heading to the office the ride was quiet until they pulled up to the building. "Peter is going to be excited to see you again," Diana said as she put the car in park. Looking up she saw Neal was gone from the back seat. Neal ran into the building and into the first elevator that opened in the lobby and fidgeted as it rose up the building. When the door opened Neal saw Peter standing there. Breaking into a huge smile he stepped out of the elevator and threw himself into Peter's arms and buried his face against his shoulder.

Peter stood frozen for a moment when he felt how thin his fiancée was, keeping Neal close he rubbed his back and felt Neal flinch. Before he could even ask the elevator dinged again and Neal jumped like a startled rabbit and stood three feet from Peter and lowered his eyes. "Petey it's good to see you again even if it has been only a couple weeks. Neal you should have waited…we'll talk about this later," Kramer said as Neal nodded and kept his head down. Peter waited until the other agent went to his temporary office before walking over to the ex con. "Come on let's talk in my office," he said leading Neal through the bullpen and into his office. Right away the smell of deviled ham hit Neal like a ton of bricks. His mouth watered as he took his usual seat.

Sitting on the edge of his desk Peter saw Neal eyeing the bag on his desk that he had pulled out before Neal got there. "Hey Peter…do you have anything I could eat maybe?" Neal asked looking around as if someone was going to jump out and catch him asking for something. "Yeah… but's just a couple deviled ham sandwiches and you have always told me that you hated them," Peter said pulling the bag over and opening it. "Right now I could eat a million of them," Neal remarked as he took the sandwich held out to him and unwrapped it in a flash and shoved most of it into his mouth. After three bites he forced it down and looked at the other one in Peter's hand.

="Neal… when's the last time you ate?" Peter asked handing Neal the other sandwich. Pulling the wax paper off Neal attacked the second sandwich like a wild animal. "Do you meem a full meal?" Neal asked with a full mouth before finishing the rest of the food in a couple more bites. "I don't know… maybe a week ago… or two," he said lowering his eyes. "Neal what happened? You're thinner than you were when you got out of prison," the agent remarked taking Neal's hand in his and holding it between his showing him he was safe. "Kramer… he… treated me like a dog… he had so many rules and when I wouldn't listen he would punish me… he also put a tracking chip in my neck like a house pet," Neal said keeping his head down. Peter leaned over Neal and lifted up his hair from the back of his neck revealing a small red area that looked infected. Looking up into the bullpen he saw Kramer looking at him.

Moving towards the door Peter felt Neal grab his arm. "Please… don't confront him, it will be worse for me later when we go back to D.C.," he said softly as he looked up with eyes that made him look like a kicked puppy. Right away Peter helped Neal to his feet and out of the office. "I'm taking you to the doctor to get that chip taken out," Peter said as he walked into the elevator with the ex con and brought him down to his car with his duffle bag. Helping Neal in to the car he drove him to his doctor's office where he had taken Neal to a few times near their home having called ahead before they made the trip.

Walking into the quaint little office Neal held onto Peter's arm tightly as the nurse pulled him away and walked him into the exam room. She came back out a few minutes later. "Agent Burke could you come in please the doctor having some trouble with Neal," she said leading Peter into the exam room. "We can't get him to remove his shirt to check this obvious rapid weight loss," she said opening the door. Peter walked in and sat down behind Neal. "Hey… come on Neal, we'll get out of here faster if you cooperate," he said putting a hand on Neal's lower back making him flinch.

Reaching up Neal slowly unbuttoned his shirt and let it slide off his shoulders and arms revealing at least three dozen wounds in various stages of healing. Many looked like they could be infected, Peter moved over so the doctor could get a better look and take pictures for his report. "We're going to clean and patch these up… but Peter told me on the phone about the chip, we can remove it easily we'll just take an x-ray first to find it if you'll just follow the nurse," the doctor said letting Neal slip his shirt back on to cover his back. After a quick x-ray Neal sat on the exam table and rested his head on Peter's lap. When the doctor returned Peter moved and held onto Neal's hand as the ex con was given local anesthetic before the small chip was removed.

"There, you're going to feel a little tired for the rest of the day I suggest you go home and sleep for a while and if you're in any pain later take some pain killers," he said as he carefully closed up the small cut he made and the rest of the wounds on Neal's back. "As for the weight loss and to keep your body from losing any more weight you need to start eating three square meals and not just large portions either," he said as he and Peter helped Neal to his feet.


	2. Chapter 2

**Want to thank my fans for reading and my beta for doing all this work, please read and review it helps to get the chapters out quicker and it keeps bad things from happening to good characters. Also raise your hands if you would like to see Neal take a little trip to the dark side of the law again  
**

**Chapter 2**

Neal gave a small yawn as Peter walked him toward the door. "I'm going to leave you in the waiting room for a moment while I talk to the doctor," Peter said as he helped Neal sit down before returning to the exam room. "I will have everything you need by end of work today, Neal should take this antibiotic for a couple weeks and call me if he gets worse," the doctor said handing Peter the prescription. Peter nodded and walked back to where he left the ex con. Taking Neal to their new home he smiled to see Neal also smile at the house. "I haven't had a lot of time to go get furniture so when you're better we'll go. All your clothes from June's are in the closet upstairs, your easel and paints are in the family room in the basement and this…" Peter said as he opened the master bedroom door showing Neal the bed he used at June's with new faux silk bedding.

Giving a small yawn Neal rubbed his eyes as he was helped into bed carefully. "Will you stay with me for a while until I fall asleep?" Neal asked as he hugged a soft pillow. Peter nodded and kicked his shoes off before removing his tie and belt as he threw them aside to sit on top of the covers while his lover clung to him in a death grip. Relaxing back against the pillows he pulled Neal closer and very lightly rubbed his uninjured side and closed his eyes as he waited for Neal to fall asleep. When he felt the grip on his arm loosen Peter slipped free and made his way to the kitchen to make himself some lunch since Neal ate his. Just as he finished his phone rang. "Diana what's up, oh really on the war path huh… well keep him busy, Neal needs his rest and to stay away from him. Also can you tell Hughes that he needs to come over later he and I need to talk," Peter said before hanging up and going to the couch by the front door and sitting down to collect his thoughts.

_Hopefully this evidence that the doctor collected will get Neal the freedom he is long overdue for. I just hope it does something; I can't send him back there he's suffered too much already, _Peter thought as he got up from the couch and made his way back upstairs to find Neal sitting up in bed breathing heavy. Moving over he sat beside Neal and pulled him into his arms being careful of his wounds "I'm not going to send you back to him…when Hughes comes by later you have to tell him about what happened that's the only way we'll be able to help you stay in New York," he said softly keeping Neal close."If it doesn't work then Kramer will take me back and punish me again," Neal said softly.

"I won't let that happen," Peter said as he cupped Neal's cheek softly and pulled him into a gentle kiss so he wouldn't hurt the younger man. Neal pulled away for a moment. "I'm not going to break Peter," Neal said as he moved so he was straddling his lap. Slowly wrapping his arms around Peter neck and put his forehead against Peter's. Peter smiled for a moment before resting his hands on Neal's overly bony hips. "I know… but we have all the time to be together after all this, besides I want you to be able to walk at work tomorrow," he said giving Neal's bottom lip a little nip. Neal smiled and puts his head on Peter's shoulder. "Can we just sit here for a while?" Neal asked slipping his arm around Peter's shoulders and held him close. "Everything is going to be all right, I'm going to make sure of it," Peter said keeping Neal in a protective embrace.

* * *

Kramer paced the office before walking over to Diana's desk "You said they went out for lunch… that was almost an hour ago, so where are they now?" he asked fuming that Neal had run off. Walking into Hughes office he looked at the other agent. "I know you and Peter are up to something… since I got here we haven't worked on looking for our guy once, you all seem to be buying time while Peter gets Caffrey away from me," Kramer said the wheels in his head turning as he planned Neal's newest punishment. Hughes got to his feet and looked at the visiting agent. "I have to go… but please feel free to stay here," he said as he walked past Kramer and left the office. Walking into his temporary office Kramer made a beeline for his laptop and pulled up Neal's tracking information. Seeing that Neal was not even near the office he made sure to keep a mental note that Neal went against his rule of leaving his side without permission.

Hughes left the FBI office and made his way to Peter and Neal's home in Cobble Hill. When he arrived he walked down the small alley and looked at the brick co-op in front of him. Going to the door he rang the doorbell and waited. Peter finally came downstairs and opened the front door and led his boss inside. "Neal will be down in a minute, I've got to pick up his medication and some ingredients for dinner," Peter said as Neal walked over. "I'm going to let you two talk; I'll be back soon," he said putting an arm around Neal and kissed his temple and pulled away before leaving.

Neal shifted a bit uncomfortably. "How much have you heard about what happened?" Neal asked softly as he rubbed his arm a bit. "Not very much… but Peter wouldn't ask me here unless it was serious," Hughes said trying to help Neal be comfortable around him. "Kramer dropped my stipend to a hundred dollars and made me pay for his gas and other things; I barely had any money for food…and if I did anything he didn't deem as right he would take off his belt and whip me… he also put an animal tracking chip in the back of my neck," Neal said as he removed his shirt to show the marks on his back. Hughes looked at the marks before telling Neal to put his shirt back on. He then assured Neal that he would be looking into a way to get him back. Walking his boss to the door he let him out and locked the door behind him to give himself a peace of mind.

Taking a seat at the kitchen table Neal threaded his fingers together and rested his chin on top of his fingers while he waited for Peter to return home; and when he did Peter found his lover waiting for him at the table. Smiling he put the bag down and kissed his forehead. "Why don't you set the table? The plates are in the farthest left cabinet,' Peter said as he started to unpack the shopping bag. Peaking over his shoulder Neal smiled he knew right away from the ingredients that were being unpacked that Peter was making meatloaf. Grabbing the plates the ex con set the table in silence before leaning against the counter as he watched the dinner preparation. "That's going to make me fat…" Neal commented with a smirk.

"It will put some weight on you," Peter said as he started to mix the breadcrumbs and chopped onions into the ground beef and tomato sauce together in the bowl. Leaning against the counter Neal sighed as he watched Peter work on the food. When the uncooked meatloaf was in the pan and put in the oven Neal moved away from the counter as Peter washed his hands and dried them before grabbing a bottle of wine from the wine rack he grabbed a pair of glasses and lead Neal out to their stoop and handed Neal a glass before using a corkscrew to pull the cork out and poured two glasses. Neal smiled when he realized that the wine wasn't cheap. "You actually spent some money on this, I'm impressed," Neal remarked as he swirled his wine a bit and sniffed it before taking a sip. It was perfect, Neal knew that Peter knew nothing about wine and he had help. Finishing his glass Neal put it down on the rough cement beside him and leaned against Peter.

Peter shifted so he was against the railing and Neal was comfortable. "Neal, can I ask you something serious?" Peter asked looking down at Neal as the ex con managed to pour another glass of wine without spilling a drop and nodded that he was ready to answer the question. "Do you worry that if I get another CI after you leave the FBI that I might end up liking them as well and leaving you like I did Elizabeth?" Peter asked trying to keep Neal's mind off his problems with Kramer. Thinking for a moment and sipping some more wine Neal leaned back so his head was comfortably in the crook of Peter's neck. "No… I don't worry about that because I know you Peter… and if anyone does come along I'll just scare them off every single time, I'm not afraid to play dirty to keep you all to myself," Neal said with a smirk that earned him a kiss on the forehead. "I'm getting cold," Neal said as he shifted so he was being held closer.

* * *

When the buzzer began to ring Peter helped Neal up and picked the empty glasses up and headed inside. Neal sat at the table and waited as he was served. As they sat down to dinner Neal stopped for a moment when he saw Peter watching him. "What?" he asked as he ate. Peter just smiled and shook his head "I was just thinking about something you said back in Ireland," he replied as he started to eat. After dinner Neal decided to take a shower. Being very careful about his injuries Neal showered quickly and walked into the master bedroom in just a towel and found his lover sitting up on the bed reading a file. "It's not nice to ignore your guest…" Neal remarked as he walked over to the bed and took the file from Peter and put it on the night stand behind him as he sat on the bed and as he flopped down the small spark of pain made him gasp.

Sitting up Peter leaned over to get the file back before looking down at Neal; he left the file on the night stand and turned the light off instead before leaning in to kiss Neal. Neal attacked instantly and wrapped his arms and legs around the other man and kept him close. Right away the agent knew what his lover wanted but due to Neal's injuries Peter wanted to go slow but knew that wasn't going to happen with Neal's current actions. Trying to pull away the FBI agent found he was being held against his will almost even though he couldn't deny that he didn't want it also, he missed the view of Neal beneath him where he belonged.

Moaning like a cat in heat Neal forgot how much he enjoyed being with the man he loved. Letting his arms loosen Neal moved one arm beside his head and arched his back as Peter moved to his neck and bit down hard. Crying out Neal clawed at Peter's clothes he could barely think of anything other than Peter's clothes on the floor and having amazingly mind blowing sex with the agent.

As Peter continued to tease his lover until he moved swiftly from teasing to pleasure. It was at that moment Neal couldn't think straight and his mind was just fuzz. The pleasure center of his brain had begun overloading and would melt to nothing the sex was so intense. When he opened his eyes Neal felt shocks of pleasure shooting through his entire body.

Unable to tell if he was still having sex or had climaxed, Neal tried to catch his breath as he felt Peter move beside him. "I think I passed out for a second… it was that intense" he remarked as he heard Peter chuckle. "I'll take that as a complement, I never had anyone tell me that to me that it must have been excellent," Peter said as he helped pull Neal under the comforter to stay warm. Neal mumbled an agreement as he curled naked body against Peter and fell asleep. Smirking Peter held Neal close as he slept and pushed some hair out of his eyes before drifting off to sleep as well.

* * *

Peter woke the next morning to an empty place beside him. Getting out of bed he found some clean sweat pants and slipped them on before going to look for Neal. Walking downstairs he found Neal cooking breakfast. "Hey there I thought I would cook breakfast so we would have the energy at work to catch bad guys," Neal remarked as he walked over and put his arms around Peter and kissed him good morning. He pulled away and walked back to the stove to turn the heat down. Right away Peter noticed that Neal walked with a limp and felt a pang of guilt that he took suck advantage of him. "By the way how long you been up?" the agent asked as he took the cup of coffee offered to him. "Since a little after three, I made toast, eggs, bacon and your favorite cinnamon buns, I also made coffee," Neal said sounding a little wired like he had more than a few cups himself.

"Neal what's wrong… you woke up early it sounds like that time you drank three red bulls and we couldn't get you to shut up for three hours. Now talk what's bothering you?" he asked Neal put a plate of food in front of him. "First of all you guys bet me I couldn't drink them all and not be effected so that was your fault and I just had trouble sleeping so I had a few cups of coffee and did a little painting before making breakfast is that a crime?" Neal asked with a smile as he turned off the stove and sat down with his own plate of food. "If it's a priceless work of art and you intend to sell it then yes it is a crime," he remarked chuckling as he started to eat. Digging into his own plate Neal stopped poured another cup of coffee. Peter grabbed it before Neal could drink it. "You've had enough," Peter remarked pulling it to his side of the table. Neal finished the food on his plate and went back for seconds.

Smiling at the appetite Neal seemed to have Peter pushed some more toast on Neal's plate as he got up and brought his plate to the sink. "I'm going to shower and get dressed, you keep eating and no more coffee," Peter said as he headed upstairs and showered. Neal finished breakfast and cleaned up quickly before heading upstairs and grabbing the comforter off the bed and brought it downstairs to wash and started the washer before heading back upstairs to wait for his turn to shower. "Peter, hurry up and save some hot water for me," Neal said over the roar of the water. Peter rolled his eyes and shut the water off and stepped out in all his glory.

Nearly swallowing his tongue Neal forced himself to remember to blink. "I…uh…uh…" Neal tried to come up with something to say but each word died on his tongue. Peter smirked and walked out of the bathroom leaving Neal to take a freezing cold shower. When he was done Neal left the bathroom and quickly dressed in the last pair of fitting pants he had and the smallest turtleneck he had. Heading downstairs he left with Peter and went to work.

* * *

A short trip into the city Neal had switched radio stations almost four dozen times before they parked. Peter got out of the car with Neal close behind him and talking a mile a minute about what he wanted to-do when he got free. "Neal please…can you give me like three minutes to think; I also think you need to stay away from the coffee for the rest of the day," Pete remarked as he left Neal at his old desk. "I have to talk to Hughes for a while you sit and stay there so I can keep an eye on you," he said leaving Neal alone. Taking a seat at the desk Neal leaned back in his seat for a moment and watched the other agents walking around and doing their work. After a little while the multiple cups of coffee had finally run their course, getting up and slipping out of the office to use the restroom Neal peeked around to make sure he was alone, it was a habit of his to not be caught unguarded anywhere.

When he was done relieving his burden he washed his hands and began to look himself over in the mirror making sure he was hiding his still too thin frame well. He didn't hear the door behind the wall open. "So where were you all night? First you leave my side without permission then you stay away all night, I'm not stupid Neal I know that you told Burke about the abuse," Kramer said as he used his body to block the only exit out of the men's room. Neal backed up as quickly until he was in the corner. "I didn't say anything …I know you said that you would punish me if I said anything… so I… I didn't say anything…" Neal said his fear taking over as he tried to make himself small. Moving closer to the ex con Kramer shook his head.

"I don't believe you, a little food and some kind words maybe some sex for the cheap whore you are and Peter had you eating out of his hand and you told him about your punishments," Kramer said as he grabbed Neal's arm and roughly pulled him from the restroom and around the elevators to his office and shoved him inside and shut and locked the door and closed the blinds. "Uh actually I should really get back to my desk Peter told me to stay there," Neal said as he tried to get past the agent. Throwing his arm out Kramer blocked the doorway and let Neal walk right into his arm. Pushing the younger man back into the room Kramer advanced before striking Neal across the face with his fist. Before he could even blink Neal felt his head connect with something hard and wooden but he couldn't remember what in the office was made of wood until he realized he was bent backwards and was partially lying on Kramer's desk. Blinking away the pain the ex con looked up in fear as he felt himself behind held down by a pair of hands pushing down on his throat hard.

* * *

Peter looked at the stack of paperwork he finished signing. "That's everything, emergency transfer and emergency commutation papers are done," Peter said as he looked up to tell him the news and saw Neal's desk was empty. Right away it felt like a huge rock dropped into the pit of his stomach. Leaving the office Peter asked around for the ex con's location, when no one could accurately give him a location he asked about Kramer and was pointed to his office. The news that Kramer was in his office and no one knew were Neal was made the agent worry more as he pushed past a couple agents spilling their paperwork on the floor.

Heading down the short hall Peter found the blinds shut and the door closed. Walking up quietly he put his ear to the door and listened, he could hear the sounds that sounded like a struggle. Knocking on the door they stopped right away. "Who is it?" Kramer barked as he kept one hand on Neal's throat less hard so he could breathe the other over his mouth to keep him quiet. "It's Peter I was wondering if you had seen Neal at all; it seems like he's not where I left him…"Peter said through the door as he tried the handle and found it locked. Taking into account Kramer was distracted Neal reached over his head and grabbed the small table lamp and pulled the plug out of the wall with one tug and gave it a swing catching the agent in the head.

"You little bastard" Kramer hissed as he gave Neal a hard punch to the face fracturing his cheekbone and putting him in another daze and knocked him to the floor. Grabbing the coiled cord of the phone he wrapped it around Neal's neck and tightened it as he pulled Neal up to his knees. "Peter can you come back later I'm in the middle of something, it seems I'm having a rat problem but I've got it under control," he said as he put his knee against Neal's back and pushed his body forward.

Peter didn't waste any time and kicked the door in his gun drawn, he was glad he hadn't put it away yet that morning. "Phillip stop right now and put your hands up or I will drop you right where you're standing," Peter warned as he cocked the gun showing how serious he was. Dropping the cord Neal fell to the floor unconscious. Lowering his gun Peter walked over and knelt down to check Neal's pulse. "Diana! Jones! Call an ambulance now!" Peter yelled loud enough that the whole bullpen went dead silent before trying to rush into the tight hall. Jones made it in first and knew that if Peter wasn't calmed down soon they were going to need a second ambulance. Moving past Peter he quickly cuffed the other agent and pulled him out of the room as he gave him his rights and led him to the interrogation room.

* * *

Disarming his gun Peter dropped it on desk and moved over to Neal and rolled him over just as the paramedics arrived and pushed him away. Moving quickly they put an oxygen mask on Neal. To Peter Neal looked like a fallen angel, and as the paramedics checked Neal's pulse he slowly began to open his eyes. Peter gave a sigh of relief when the younger man slowly sat up with help. "Shouldn't he still get checked out at the hospital?" Peter asked crouching down and helping Neal slowly to his feet and let him lean against him. "Didn't I tell you to stay by your desk?" the agent asked giving a small smile as Neal nodded. The paramedics moved over and helped him out of the office. Diana looked at Peter to tell him that she would go with Neal so Peter could interrogate Kramer.

Peter nodded and watched Neal leave. As soon as he was gone Peter walked to the interrogation room and went inside. "You can't strike me at all or you'll be fired," Kramer said as Peter took a seat across from his former mentor tried to control his anger and not imagine beating his head into the wall. "If I do it will be worth it… Neal no longer belongs to you or the FBI. He was granted an emergency commutation; the paperwork is signed you are no longer his handler. He finally has the freedom he has earned," Peter said as he got to his feet and walked towards the door. "Peter… you realize this was all a con right? The minute he finds out he's free he's going to disappear into the wind and you will never see him again," Kramer said with a chuckle. "Shut up… Neal is not going to run he's not the same man you think he is!" Peter yelled as he slammed his fists on the table.

"The only reason you're upset is because you know that I'm telling the truth, so go run off and tell him," Kramer said as Peter left the room. Leaving the FBI building he called Diana and got Neal's location. Driving to the hospital Peter went to Neal's room and found him sitting up in bed with an ice pack against his cheek. Walking to the bed Peter sat down and gave a small smile. "Here let me see…" he said as he moved the ice pack from Neal's cheek. "Now how is it can make this look sexy?" Peter asked giving Neal a light kiss on the forehead.

Neal smiled softly before it started to hurt his cheek. "I have some good news for you, Hughes mostly and I got you an emergency transfer back to New York and you've been given emergency commutation… as of this morning you don't have to wear any type of monitor ever again. We can get married and you can do whatever you want," Peter said as Neal smiled and ignored the pain in his cheek. Neal kept smiling as the doctor came in and shook Peter's hand. "I looked Mr. Caffrey over and other than a cheekbone that is severely fractured plus a hell of a shiner and a mild concussion he's fine. He's just going to have a sore throat for a couple days. Mr. Caffrey you should consider yourself lucky with the amount of pressure that was on your throat your hyoid should have been shattered and you should be dead right now instead of sitting here," the doctor said as he grabbed Neal's chart and wrote a few things down.

"In a couple hours; I want to keep an eye on your concussion to make sure nothing serious occurs. Agent Burke you are welcome to stay…" the doctor said as he left the room. Peter picked up the ice pack and held it up to Neal's cheek. "You really should keep icing this, and why don't you lie down," Peter remarked as he helped Neal down and helped keep the ice in place on Neal's left cheek.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for the delay work has been a nightmare but I am writing again because it keeps me sane and so do your reviews so please don't be stingy and please review.  
**

**Chapter 3**

Before Neal was released Peter made the doctors give Neal a good look over to make sure he was fine. Walking Neal to the car Peter drove them home; on the way he stopped at a hardware store and bought a pair of bolt cutters. When they got home Peter helped Neal inside and took his left hand and used the bolt cutters to remove the GPS bracelet. Neal smiled when he didn't hear an alarm go off, pulling the bracelet off he threw it aside and pulled Peter into a kiss that was soft and filled with love. "As soon as I'm back to normal… we need to have our wedding before anything else gets in the way," Neal remarked as he rubbed the back of his head and flinched at the bruise on the back of his head. "I'll bring an ice pack upstairs for your cheek," Peter said as the former ex con walked upstairs.

Grabbing an icepack from the freezer Peter went upstairs and found Neal laying on his side looking out the window. Crawling on the bed Peter put the icepack on Neal's cheek and lay down so he was facing Neal and put his forehead against Neal's. "You have no idea how much I love you, and how worried I was when I saw you on the floor unconscious; I thought for a moment you were dead," Peter said softly as he brushed his fingers lightly against the edge of the bruise under the icepack. Right away Neal felt tears build in his eyes he had been scared too that he was going to die at Kramer's hand. "I thought he was going to kill me…" Neal croaked out as he moved in closer and tucked his head under Peter's chin for protection.

"If he had killed you I was prepared to empty my entire clip into his chest then stomp his head in," Peter said as he put a protective arm around Neal. Smirking at what his lover said Neal closed his eyes knowing he was safe and started to let the pain killers he was given before he left the hospital take over. He had been fighting them since he got in the car but now he wanted to drift off into painless sleep. As soon as Neal was out like a light Peter maneuvered Neal's body off of him and grabbed a blanket from the closet. "I'll always protect you always Neal," he said softly as he moved the ice pack and brought it back downstairs to put in the freezer.

As he grabbed a beer from the fridge the phone began to ring. Peter sighed and put the beer down before answering the phone. "Hey Diana…he's fine, the GPS is off and he's resting. What happened with Kramer?" the agent asked grabbing his beer. Diana sighed over the phone as she collected her thoughts. "He's got a lawyer; a really good one he claims to have a defense as to why he abused Neal when Hughes asked him…he said Neal asked him to do it. Kramer said that Neal was into some dark S&M and that they were having a relationship behind your back. Of course we're not buying it but he's got an excuse for everything which means Neal is going to have to give a full statement at some point," Diana said knowing that Peter would talk to Neal. "I know, I'll talk to him later after he wakes up," Peter said as he uncapped his beer. "Alright, just be careful Peter, oh and you didn't hear this from me but Hughes is pushing to get Neal hired as a full time consultant for the FBI, you two should talk about that," Diana said before hanging up.

Looking at the beer in his hand Peter sighed and rubbed his head where a headache was starting. Grabbing the furniture catalog that was on the island counter he started to flip through it looking for a new couch for the downstairs TV room. He had the TV all set up there wasn't much else to make the room look pulled together. Downing some of his beer he tagged a few pages in the catalog before closing it and heading downstairs to do some laundry with the game on in the background.

* * *

Kramer paced the interrogation room after his lawyer left; he knew that his life in the FBI was over Peter would make sure of that. Walking toward the window of the interrogation room he looked out toward the window at the only piece of city skyline that could be seen. Sighing he stood there and watched some cloud drift by in the slice of blue sky. "You almost killed my consultant today… excuse me former consultant," Hughes remarked as he closed the door behind him. "So an emergency commutation and he's a free man, you think just because he's going to get hitched to your best agent that's going to stop him… he's probably going to use that in his favor," Kramer said taking a seat across from the other experienced agent as he sat down.

"I don't know what it is that makes you think Neal is so terrible, he's got a few flaws but he's a really good guy and we're going to be offering him a full time consulting job after he takes a little time off," Hughes said as he tapped a pen on the table. "It wouldn't surprise me if he's been running this as a con since the first day he started working for you," Kramer remarked his feeling about Neal unchanged. Hughes shook his head and stood up and left the room.

* * *

When he was done with the laundry Peter made his way upstairs and found Neal still asleep. Putting the laundry basket at the foot of the bed Peter moved to Neal's side and pushed the bangs out of his eyes and checked the dark bruise on his cheek. Slowly returning to the waking world Neal grumbled and looked up at Peter for a moment. "Hey sleeping beauty…how are you feeling?" Peter asked with a chuckle. "Sleepy…and a little hungry," Neal remarked as he slowly sat up and propped a pillow behind his back. "Well before I get you something to eat I have good news, you no longer have to go back to work with me as my CI… you're emergency commutation went through," Peter said with a smile as he carefully kissed Neal.

_Freedom…I've wished for it for so long and now I have it… no more running around getting coffee or being held up at gun point and having to lie my way out of it…_ Neal thought as he melted into the kiss. _What am I going to do?…Mozzie always said if I get bored of freedom there is always the old life…but there is more danger this ti-_ Neal paused in his inner thoughts as he smirked into the kiss and ignore the pain in his cheek. He knew that the rush of stealing would keep him from being bored. As Peter pulled away from the kiss Neal felt a pang of guilt the size of a boulder hit him in the chest when he thought of being caught and going back to jail for the rest of his life and never seeing Peter again. "Stay here I'll go make you a meatloaf sandwich," Peter said as he kissed Neal's forehead softly "Okay…and can I have something other than wine with it to drink but no beer, please Peter," Neal said with a smile as got comfortable and readied himself to be waited on hand and foot.

Peter laughed "I'm only taking care of you because you're hurt," he said as he got up and went to make something to eat, "and I want you to eat everything I make no exceptions," he said leaving the room and coming back four minutes later with three meatloaf sandwiches. Neal dug into one of his two sandwiches and made sure not to leave any crumbs as he ate. "Peter earlier I said I wanted a wedding as soon as possible but I've been thinking let's just get the certificate at the courthouse and then a small party here… I just have this feeling that if we don't do it now, it will never happen," Neal said taking another bite of his sandwich. "I can stay home for the rest of the day or can I leave you alone to go back to work for a little while?" Peter asked as he ate a little. Neal smiled and finished his first sandwich "I'll be fine for a while without you; it's not like a broke my leg, I can handle a couple hours alone and I promise to be here when you get back with your slippers and pipe," Neal said with a slight mock in his tone.

"I'd rather have you doing something else but I won't give you any ideas yet, I'll call in a couple hours to check on you," Peter said as he got up from the edge of the bed. Before he could take a step he was held back. "Um now that I think about it I could use a little more home care why not stay home," Neal remarked as he put the plate on the night stand and patted the bed beside him. "Wish I could but Hughes is pushing for paperwork to get you hired as a full consultant after you rested up. Stay in bed and watch some television or read a book and for the next hour or two just try and stay out of trouble," Peter remarked. "Oh fine..."Neal said in a huff as Peter got up from the bed. "I mean it I'll call in a while," Peter said as he left.

* * *

As soon as Peter was gone Neal climbed out of bed and grabbed his cell phone and called Mozzie's phone. "Hey Moz…I need a favor from you. Can you come over for a while?" the ex con asked as he made his way downstairs to the kitchen. "I'll see you soon," Neal said as he hung up. When Mozzie arrived Neal was glad to see his friend. "I see you've lowered your standards to Brooklyn," Mozzie remarked as he looked around the dining room. "I like it… it's a nice place to start a family and it's hidden away from the world which makes it even better," Neal said as he sat at the table.

"Is that the reason you called me here or is there something else?" Mozzie asked as he sat down. "Moz, do you remember our back up plan that we came up with years ago in case of such things happening?" Neal asked as he tapped his fingers on the table. Thinking for a moment the older man sat there for a moment. "You really want to go through with planning that; what would the suit say if he found out?" Mozzie asked as got up from the table and made a beeline for the wine rack. "He's never going to find out…" Neal said taking the glass offered to him. "What's your preferred targets then?" the shorter man asked. Neal swirled the wine in thought as he sat there. "The Robin Hood thing has been done… and I'm not looking to make money I'm just looking for a challenge to keep from being bored as a free man," Neal remarked. "Why not just steal something then put it back a week later…that way you can't be arrested for having stolen items in your possession," Mozzie said.

Stopping his glass from touching his lips Neal smirked. "I like it…it will be different and the FBI will never be able to figure it out," Neal remarked as he sipped his wine. "I love Peter but I can't just be good all the time and let my skills go to waste. It's not like I'm going to do this right away, I'm only going to do this if I get bored," Neal said smirking. "Well, when you get caught again just don't tell the suit I was involved, I rather not go to prison with you," Mozzie remarked as he poured another glass of wine.

Neal smiled and sat back in his chair. "Don't worry, I won't tell them a thing under pain of torture," Neal promised as they clinked together their glasses. As promised an hour later the phone rang, grabbing it off the table Neal picked it up. "Hey Peter…oh nothing much Mozzie came over and we're just talking about some things, I was going to call Elizabeth and see what's the earliest she can set up a wedding party for us… we'll have it here… after I'm healed in six weeks," Neal said as he ran his finger over the lip of his glass making it sing. "I promise nothing over the top, it's going to just be us some friends…my family; that's it really," Neal remarked as he moved his hand away from his wine glass. "Trust me everything will be fine," Neal said with a smile. Peter chuckled uneasily and said his goodbye to Neal before hanging up and going back to work. Looking across the kitchen at the shorter man Neal smiled "How do you feel about helping to plan a wedding in just six weeks?" Neal asked as he began to dial the number for Burke Premier Events.

* * *

After six weeks of planning Neal found himself staring at his own reflection on his wedding day. He was shaken out of his thoughts by a light knock on the doorframe of his master bedroom. "Neal… you ready?" June asked as she walked into the room "Sort of I'm just… nervous, I mean I've known Peter for years and I can't think of being with anyone else but him and yet I almost feel like I running away," he said sat on the edge of his bed. June smiled as she sat down beside Neal and put her hand on his. "On my wedding day I was about to run right out of the church but when I saw Byron at the alter I just knew he was the one I wanted to grow old with because he made me smile and laugh and I knew he would hold me when I cried. Now does that sound like Peter to you?" she asked with a smile.

"Of course…Peter's done more for me than any other person I've ever been with, he's saved my life and helped me through some of the darkest moments of my life…that means I should get down there," Neal said as he stood up and straightened his clothes a bit and held his arm out to June as they left the room with her and went downstairs where his mother was waiting for him. As June pulled away Neal tightened his arm. "Will you walk out with me also? You've been like a second mother to me; you took me in despite the fact I was just released from prison. You've kept me pretty level headed and on occasion you've help me when I needed it even if it wasn't a hundred percent legal," Neal said with a smile. "Of course dear," June said with a smile.

Walking outside Neal felt his cheeks heat up a bit despite it being a nice spring day. He was nervous and excited at the same time. He had never felt this mixture of happiness and nerves in the pit of his stomach like this. When they stopped in front of Peter and Mozzie Neal kissed both of their cheeks and let them walk aside. Mozzie began his introduction and began the ceremony. When Mozzie finished Peter said his short vows which were sweet and caring. When it was his turn Neal spoke from the heart. "If I had known that day our eyes met in front of the bank when I was just speaking to you to stroke my own ego that we would be standing here I would have never guessed it. You've been there for me when I needed you and when you assumed I even wanted you around. We aren't perfect when we're apart but together we're just a little bit better than we were, and that is how I can stand here in front of our loved ones without any fears and say I do love you and I will never stop until the day I stop breathing," Neal said as he heard many of the women trying not to cry.

Mozzie smiled "Well by the power vested in me by the state of New York to perform such services, I now pronounce you legally wed so just kiss," he said as everyone clapped and Peter leaned in and kissed Neal softly as everyone continued to clap. When they broke apart Neal felt like his life couldn't get any better. Peter and Neal decided to change before making their way to the restaurant a couple blocks away, where the reception was being held. Once everyone left Neal smiled and put his arms around Peter as they made their way inside and up to their room to change. Neal put a dark button up shirt that made his eyes pop and khaki pants. Peter smirked and wore the outfit Neal picked for him before they left for the restaurant.

When they got there everyone was seated and ordering drinks. Neal made sure to rent the place out and with such a big party he knew they would need the space. Taking their seats and ordering their drinks everyone there felt like family. By the end of the night Neal was talking up a storm with Elizabeth and about how she did such a great job. Diana looked over at Neal and smiled. "So where are you two going for your honeymoon?" she asked knowing that Peter and Neal had been keeping it a secret.

"Actually Peter is taking me camping in the woods for a week," Neal said as the whole group went quiet at the thought of Neal camping. "What? I've never been and he said it will be fun," Neal remarked as he tried to defend himself. Most of the guests smiled at the thoughts of Neal trying to camp. Elizabeth looked at her ex-husband "Peter that's just cruel… he has no idea what he's getting himself into," She said with a smile. Peter put his beer down and chuckled "Neal wanted to go; he asked if we could go camping so I found a place up state by a lake it's really nice and secluded. In fact the next camp site is like a half mile hike away," he said. Shawn smirked and was glad his mother and step father had left with the boys for the night "Where no one can hear Neal scream," Shawn said with a chuckle as everyone laughed and Neal flushed red. Peter put a comforting arm around Neal and made him smile with a small squeeze.

By closing time everyone had their fill and began to leave. Neal paid the enormous bill with a credit card in one of his alias's names and walked home with Peter putting his head against Peter's shoulder as they walked through their small alley to their house. Peter stopped and grabbed Neal by the arm and pulled him back into his arms under the moonlight above them. Cupping Neal's cheek with his hand he pulled him into a kiss. Moaning softly Neal dragged Peter into the house and shut the front door before pulling apart for air. Neal smirked and moved away from Peter and turned their sound system on and put some slow music on. "You promised me one private slow dance on our wedding night, or did you forget?" Neal asked holding his hand out.

Peter rolled his eyes. "I was kind of hoping you would forget that promise," Peter said as he took Neal's hand and pulled Neal into his arms. Putting his head on Peter's shoulder Neal sighed softly. "Remember when I told you I never graduated high school… well I ran away from home before prom," he admitted softly. Peter tightened his arms around Neal's waist and pulled him closer. "So this is the slow dance you never had… that's why you made me promise to dance with you tonight," Peter remarked as the song ended. Neal nodded and pulled away, "We should go to bed if we want to get to the campsite on time," Neal said as he rubbed his eyes a bit. "Why don't you go upstairs I'll be up in a minute," Peter said as he watched Neal head upstairs. Turning the stereo off and heading up after his husband Peter smirked.

* * *

Neal rolled over and rubbed his eyes as he heard the alarm on his nightstand. Slapping the snooze button he snuggled back into his blankets. "Come on… you said you wanted to get going early… remember," Peter said as he pulled the blankets away and saw Neal try to pull them back. "What time is it" Neal mumbled as he sat up as he felt a cup of coffee put into his hands. "A little after six, we should get going before it gets too late. We don't want to hit traffic," Peter said as he grabbed the last of the bags and left the room.

Sipping the coffee as he got out of bed Neal walked to the closet and began to pick through his clothes until he found a pair of loose jeans and a well-fitting tee shirt. Getting dressed he made his way downstairs just as Peter walked in the front door. "Oh before I forget, be sure to leave your valuables home. We don't want to lose them," Peter said as he looked up and saw what Neal was wearing. Neal smirked "I already left my ring upstairs in the dish on the dresser," he said as he rinsed his coffee cup out and put it in the sink before rushing upstairs to brush his teeth and pack up the last of his things. Leaving the house Peter locked the front door when Neal returned. "Now you're sure Mozzie doesn't mind staying here for a week to watch the place?" Peter asked as they walked to the car.

"Yes its fine; he'll be by later, I thought you wanted to get going?" Neal asked with a smirk as they walked to the car. Rolling his eyes as they got in Peter started the car up and watched as Neal got comfortable and drifted back off to sleep to be fully rested when they got to the campsite. Turning the radio on quietly Peter turned on the sports station to listen for as long as he could until the radio signal was lost. As they drove farther north Peter kept glancing at Neal from time to time, by mid-morning Neal woke up to find the car parked in a parking lot. Looking around he jumped when there was a loud noise of the roof of the car. "Hey I got the camping permit but we've got to hike to the campsite so let's grab the tent, the sleeping bags and carry them up. I'll come back for the other stuff once we're set up," Peter said as he started to unpack the trunk.

Getting out of the car Neal grabbed the sleeping bags as Peter locked the car before leading him up the trail and after a long hike they arrived at the camp spot on the map. Dropping the sleeping bag he was carrying Neal gasped at the view from the camp site of the lake. Peter dropped the tent and his sleeping bag and started to open up the tent. "We'll put this up first," Peter said as he unpacked everything. An hour later the tent was up "That wasn't so hard, now you hold down the fort and I'll get the rest of the stuff," he said giving Neal a kiss before taking the hike back to the car.

Neal walked to the water's edge of the lake where the ex-con sat down on a large rock and looked at the view as Peter came back with the cooler and the bags in a few trips. With the car fully unpacked Peter sat on the ground by the rock Neal was sitting on. "So what do you think about this place?" he asked settling back against the rock. "Well other than the lack of art and amenities of a hotel I really like it, it's peaceful and it's just what we need to have the perfect honeymoon," Neal said as he scooted over and put his arms around Peter's shoulders. Sighing softly Neal moved from his spot and curled up beside Peter and puts his head against Peter's shoulder as Peter put his arm around him.

"This is perfect; it's quiet and relaxing…" Neal remarked as he watched a pair of ducks moving across the lake with a small group of babies behind them. "I'm glad you like it, I would have brought you up here sooner and proposed to you here but you had to run off to Ireland," Peter said as he kept his arm around Neal. Sitting quietly Neal smiled and moved into Peter's lap. "I wouldn't have had to run if someone's mentor didn't have it out for me the way he did…. But then again if he hadn't then you never would have slipped that ring on my finger since it was taking you so long," Neal remarked as he leaned in and kissed Peter.

Pulling out of the kiss Peter sighed and put his head back against the rocks. "Why don't we go for a hike to see more of this place?" Peter asked as he kept his hands on Neal's sides "Not right now…right now I think we should break in our new tent, but I should freshen up first; where is the area?" Neal asked looking over the top of the rocks "Remember that long building we passed on the way here?" Peter asked and Neal nodded. "That's the bathroom, there is running water for the sink and showers and the toilets are well you'll find out," Peter said with a smirk as he gave Neal a pat on the rump. Neal rolled his eyes and got up and walked toward the tent to grab his bag.

Peter chuckled and sat back against the rock and watched the ducks as Neal walked off, chuckling softly Peter waited until Neal returned. "How was it? Did the non-modern toilet bother you?" he asked with a chuckle. "It wasn't the worst I've had to deal with that would be Romania for two weeks," Neal remarked as he took his place on Peter's lap again. Quirking his eye brow Peter put his arms back around Neal. "When were you in Romania?" he asked truly curious. "I was only there for a couple weeks, but enough about my past," Neal said as he put his arms around Peter's neck and moved closer till their noses were touching. "One week in this place is just not enough…"Peter remarked as he looked deep into Neal's electric blue eyes. "You should know Diana had a pool going that you won't last a week," Peter said filling Neal in. "I can make it a week, I'd like to see her and Christie last a week out here," Neal replied as he kissed Peter.

Peter smirked "I know you will but let's go on that hike and we'll see if you can last," he remarked as he pushed Neal off of him and got to his feet. Grabbing Neal's hand Peter pulled him toward the entrance to the hiking trails. Smiling Neal slipped his arm around Peter's waist and walked with him through the woods. As they walked Neal put his head against Peter's shoulder as they talked. "I'm just saying I don't get the allure of watching men hit a small ball and running around for hours and sitting on hard plastic seats," Neal said as Peter was talking about baseball. "You'll like it if you give it a try, we'll watch a game on TV when the season starts and I will get you hooked," Peter remarked as he led Neal up a trail to a small ledge that overlooked a small valley.

Sitting down Neal pulled Peter down beside him and moved a bit so he could lie down and put his head in Peter's lap. "I've been thinking we have that extra bedroom…and I want to adopt a kid," Neal said dropping the bombshell he had been holding in for a while. Peter looked down at Neal and carded his fingers through Neal's hair and leaned down his lips ready to kiss him. "You really want a kid, other than our nephews; kids and I don't get along," Peter mumbled before he kissed Neal before pulling back and leaning against the tree behind them so he could play with Neal's hair some more.

"It'll be fine, and you can teach him or her all about sports I'll teach them about art and maybe some other not so legal skills to help them as they get older," Neal said as he got comfortable. "Do you really have to teach them anything illegal I would like to enjoy my twilight years without worrying our child is in prison," Peter said hoping he could win the fight. Neal smiled knowing that he would win in the end on both battles of adopting and teaching illegal actions. "Alright, when we get home we can talk about this more, now let's go back and eat lunch I've got hot dogs that we can cook on the fire and beer to drink, and since we're roughing it there is no wine," he said as he shift Neal so he could get up.

Walking back to camp Neal explained the allure of stealing and how it made someone feel. "You can't tell me you haven't once felt the urge to just take something that didn't belong to you and keep it for yourself?" Neal asked as they walked down the long trail to their camp. Peter stopped and pulled Neal back spun around into his arms. "Of course… that's why I married you, so I could have the most exotic thing in the world, you're a one of a kind person and no one else is going to have you except me," he said as he kissed Neal before pulling away and finished the trip back to the camp site.

After arriving back at the campsite Neal decided to take a nap while he waited for lunch and crawled into the tent and closed the door behind him and left the mesh window open for air. Pulling off his shirt and pants he slipped into a sleeping bag and got comfortable. Peter sat on a log seat between the fire pit and the tent to keep an eye on Neal. Peter knew that Neal hadn't taken his sleeping pills so he was more likely to have nightmares. Thirty minutes later when the hot dogs were ready Peter looked into the tent and found Neal still deeply asleep. Letting the younger man sleep Peter ate and put the left overs away so they wouldn't attract wild animals. Then kicking his shoes off Peter climbed into the tent and shut the door behind him. He then got comfortable on the mat that covered the floor of the tent.

* * *

As the afternoon turned into twilight Peter couldn't keep his eyes open any longer and fell asleep himself. As the sun set Neal groaned and rolled over before sitting up as his stomach grumbled. Climbing out of the tent he looked around the dark campsite above the tent as an owl hooted loudly making Neal turn tail and rush back into the tent. Sitting up Peter rubbed his eyes and found the small battery operated lantern and chuckled. "It was just an owl… it won't hurt you," Peter mumbled as he lay back down and turned the lantern off. Neal sat up in the dark refusing to pout "I'm hungry though and I don't want to go out there alone," Neal said as he moved into Peter's arms. Peter rolled his eyes and smiled in the darkness as he tucked Neal under his chin and rubbed his back.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello everyone happy early 4th to my american fans, and sorry for the wait and i will make you a deal you guys review and nothing bad will happen to Neal... or Peter... if I get less than four reviews I will think you don't love me anymore V_V pleease still lov me ~ Loves and Hugs BBB  
Chapter 4**

Neal looked around the campsite once more before he grabbed the last bag and hoisted it over his shoulder. "You want me to drive first? You look tired" the ex con asked as he took Peter's keys from him. "I can drive besides you don't have a license… and driving around here to the country store is one thing but driving through the city is another," Peter said grabbing the keys back and heading for the car. "But Peter if I don't drive I might get bored and try to bother you in the car to get you to pull over," Neal remarked with a smirk as he started to head for the car. Peter groaned and tossed his keys over which Neal caught expertly. "Just don't speed alright I don't want to get pulled over," he remarked as he finished packing the last of their things into the trunk.

Getting behind the wheel Neal started up the car and waited as Peter jogged back up to the campsite and checked to make sure nothing was left behind before making their way back to the city. When Peter returned Neal slipped on his sunglasses and started the car up. Driving out of the camp grounds and got on the highway. Driving down the highway Neal sighed as the trees melted away to buildings and blocked sky. When they got closer to the city Peter found himself watching Neal with a smile on his face. When they pulled up to their home Neal parked the car and saw his friend standing on the sidewalk holding a set of keys. "Your brother dropped it off about an hour ago," Mozzie said dropping the sports car keys in Neal's hand. Peter resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the car Neal's family had given him for Christmas. "That better have all the paperwork to make it legal here," he said as he walked over just as Mozzie handed him a folder of paperwork.

"Don't even think about Neal; you still need to get your license," Peter said as he walked over and took the car keys from Neal and put them in his pocket. "Thanks for watching the house Mozzie, we'll see you later. I take if you helped yourself to our wine so that's your payment," Peter said as he started to unpack his car. Neal stood aside and turned so his back was facing Peter "Did you find anything yet worth going after?" Neal asked as Mozzie slipped him a folded slip of paper in his hand. Putting the paper in his pocket Neal bid farewell to his friend and helped Peter unpack the car. When they were done Neal stood by the couch as Peter dropped onto and looked for the remote. "Looking for this?" Neal asked holding the remote out of reach as he straddled Peter's lap and slipped his hand into Peter's pocket for his keys as he pulled Peter into a kiss. Sliding the keys out of Peter's pocket Neal hid them under the pillow and moved over so his legs were still in Peter's lap but he was sitting beside him.

* * *

Peter looked over at Neal and smiled and took the remote from him and put it aside and patted Neal's legs. "When we were camping you said you wanted to adopt a kid. Just how badly do you want to adopt?" Peter asked as he took Neal's shoes off and began to rub his feet for him as he laid back. Just as Neal got comfortable the phone upstairs began to ring. Neal got up and made his way upstairs and came back with the phone. "Yes… well Peter isn't home right now Mrs. Burke…" Neal said as Peter looked at him and shook his head. "He's just run down to the food store a block away, Oh you're in the neighborhood… well then stop over and we can have coffee while we wait for him," Neal said with a smile as he dodged Peter and ran upstairs. "Okay I'll see you soon bye," Neal said as he hung up and let Peter catch him. Neal laughed as Peter held him in a bear hug. "This won't be so bad, once she meets me then we can tell her about us once we know she likes me," the ex con said reclining into the embrace.

Peter let go and made his way to the front door and went outside. After a few minutes of waiting Peter saw his mother standing by the entrance to the alley. "Hey mom… it's been a while," Peter said with a smile as he walked over and hugged the older woman. Neal watched from the front door like a hawk waiting for his moment to swoop in when he saw it he walked over. "Hello… we've never met but I'm Neal… it's a pleasure to finally meet you Mrs. Burke…. "Neal said with his most charming smile showing all his teeth. Peter rolled his eyes as his husband poured on the charm like overly sweet frosting. Helping his mother-in-law inside Neal began to talk her ear off about how he loved the Cobble Hill area.

"You are such a charming young man Neal… you and my son are close right? So can you tell me why he and Elizabeth got divorced? They were so perfect together…as his friend you must know?" she asked hoping to get some information. Neal broke out into a wide grin as he saw Peter look up from the coffee he was making. "Funny you should ask that…you see Peter left Elizabeth for me… we got married last week we just got back from our honeymoon today," Neal said still smiling. Neal was shocked by a very strong slap to the face from his mother-in-law. "So you ruined my son and now he's gay because of some con artist floozy who is probably just using my son to stay one step ahead of the law," Caroline said not noticing the mixture of shock and terror in Neal's eyes. But Peter saw the look and was at Neal's side in the blink of an eye. He could tell Neal was on the verge of a panic attack that needed to stop before it got worse. Putting a hand on Neal's shoulder he made him look up and put his forehead against Neal's to calm him down.

"He's not going to hurt you and he doesn't know where we live," Peter said as he pulled away and pulled Neal to his feet and into a caring hug. After a moment he pulled away. "Why don't you go take a walk, and how about take out from our favorite place tonight?" Peter asked his voice filled with caring and love. Neal smiled and nodded "I'll go pick it up and I think your mother would enjoy paying," Neal remarked pulling her wallet out of his pocket earning a smirk from Peter who took it out of his hand. "You have your own money, or do you?" Peter asked as he pulled Neal's wallet out of his pocket impressing Neal. "Mozzie taught you well…" Neal said as he snatched his wallet out of Peter's hand before kissing him deeply before grabbing his coat and walking out to get dinner from their favorite place a couple blocks away.

* * *

Peter waited until Neal was out of sight down the alley before turning around to his mother the smile dropping off his face. "He doesn't deserve that treatment from my family. I don't care if your prejudice against us but if you ever lay a hand on Neal again I will press charges with the police," Peter said as he handed his mother her wallet. "If your father were here he would put you over his knee and belt you good… how could you stray so far…you were a good catholic man Peter you had a wonderful wife; what drove you to do such a thing?" Caroline asked as he put her wallet back in her purse.

Sitting down at the table Peter leaned back. "I fell in love as simple as that… and Neal is not a floozy either, we really do love each other in fact we're thinking of adopting and starting a family, you'll finally get a grandchild from me…" Peter said keeping his poker face up to hide how angry he really was. "You're going to subject a child to this lifestyle?" she asked in shock. "What are you so shocked at, Neal and I would be great parents, there is no one I know who knows more about art and history than Neal does, that child would be lucky to have us as loving parents… it's a good thing Neal's family accepts us because I don't want any child of mine to be around the hate that you and dad will spew… now get out of my house!" Peter said as he rose up from his seat.

Not bothering to walk his mother to the door Peter watched as she left and closed the door behind her. After a few minutes Neal returned carrying a takeout bag from their favorite place. Peter walked over and pulled Neal into a lip crushing kiss to make him forget what happened and took the bag from him to put it on the counter as he kissed Neal. Breaking the kiss and stumbling back a bit from lack of air Neal smiled. "I should let your mother talk badly about me more often if it's going to bring out this side of you," the ex con said as he moved around the counter and started to take plates and utensils out. "As much as I would love to see this primal side of you come out and have mind blowing sex, I'm starving and I would like to eat," Neal said as he began to unpack the food. "I just don't want you to let what she said get to you," Peter said as he leaned over the island counter and propped himself up on his arms.

"I know you care, and that's what I love about you, now let's eat before the food gets cold," Neal said as he decided to just grab a fork and eat out of the cartons. Peter just watched Neal for a moment until he stopped. "What?" he asked, shaking his head Peter just grabbed another fork and his food and walked over to the little loveseat and made room so Neal could curl up next to him. When they were full and the left overs were in the fridge Neal washed the little bit of dishes in the sink. "Don't stay up late you have work tomorrow," Neal said with a smirk since he didn't have to go in. Peter rolled his eyes as he made his way downstairs to watch a game. Finishing up in the kitchen Neal reached into his pocket and pulled out the slip of paper Mozzie gave him.

Biting his lip Neal went upstairs and changed into black pants and a black turtleneck and found his gloves in a box in the closet cutely named 'things never needed again' in Peter's hand writing. Inside the box were Neal's gloves, lock picks, and a few fake IDs and passports. Slipping his gloves on and the lock picks in his back pocket he made his way downstairs and walked to the top of the basement stairs. "Peter I'm going out for a while; I'll be back before it's too late, "Neal called as he left their home and headed out and down the sidewalk making his way to the main street before hailing a cab and telling the cabbie to drive to Bryant Park. Getting out of the cab Neal moved through the park and pulled his cellphone out. "Mozzie… yeah I'm going for it… I'm at the park where am I going from here?" Neal asked as he looked around.

"Are you sure about this? What's the suit going to say?" Mozzie asked as he poured himself a glass of wine while sitting in his hidden home. Neal looked around and sighed. "Peter doesn't know about this and I need to get my mind off something so come on Moz let's do this for old time's sake," he said with a smirk as he looked around as the people passed him. Corking the wine bottle once the glass was filled almost to the brim Mozzie sighed he knew there was no talking Neal out of anything once he set his mind on something. "Upper Eastside you have the address already… there is no dogs this time I swear," Mozzie said as he sipped the wine away from the edge of the glass so it wouldn't spill all over the list he wrote up about the pros and cons of not telling Peter Neal's plans. "Yeah that's what you said in Prague remember I still have the scar on my leg where that dog bit me…" Neal argued though he never told his friend the dog was the size of a football but it was a crazy little psycho that one minute was following him around the mansion and the next trying to take a chunk out of his leg. "You got the painting anyway despite a battle scar… now get moving the family is away in Aspen for a week so no worries," Mozzie said as he picked up his wine and sipped it.

* * *

Neal hung up his phone and flagged a cab and gave the closest cross street to the address he was going to steal from. He rode silently as the cab drive flew up the streets and came to a stop just a block from the address. Paying the driver Neal shot a text to Mozzie that he arrived. Glancing around like a nervous cat Neal made his way to the front door and pulled his lock pick set and began to work on the lock quickly. Slipping into the house Neal looked around and saw no alarm system and that all the lights were off. Pulling his phone out to use as a light source Neal barely made it ten steps into the house before he felt his cell phone vibrate in his hand. Cursing lightly he answered the phone.

"Peter what's up… I'm going to be coming home in an hour," Neal said with a smile as he made his way to the living room only to stub his toe in the dark. Peter sighed over the phone. "I just got a call from your mother, apparently Michael and Patrick don't want to idolize you any more they want to learn from you… they stole Shawn's credit card number and charged two first class tickets before having a friend's older brother drive them and hand them over to the airport staff… they should be landing in a few hours at JFK so why don't you come home and rest up before going to get them I'm going to call it a night," Peter said as he made his way upstairs to the bedroom. Neal couldn't help but smile when he heard his nephews wanted to learn from him. "Yeah I'll be home soon; I'll try not to wake you when I get home… love you" Neal said a smile in his voice as he hung up and used the screen for a light again. Sighing just as he reached the painting Neal turned around and left the house locking the door behind him.

Flagging down another cab he gave his address and thought about his runaway nephews as he rode home. When he got back home Neal went inside and stripped off his gloves and dropped them on the couch before going up to the master bedroom and finding Peter still up. "I thought you were going to bed?" Neal asked as he kicked his shoes off and sat on the bed. "I wanted to make sure you got home alright…you should take my car to go get them, and take at least a fake driver's license from your box. Neal smirked and leaned over the bed and kissed Peter. "I love it when you let me get away with anything… it gets me all hot and bothered," Neal said with a chuckle. "I'll remember that when you come home tonight," Peter said as he slipped Neal his keys and kissed him.

Leaving the house for a second time Neal got into Peter's car and made his way to the airport. When he got there he looked at the arrival board for flights from Dublin and found the gate number and made his way to it. Arriving at the gate he looked at his phone and saw he had a few hours until the plane landed. Taking a seat by the gate he sent Mozzie a text about leaving the painting for another time, once he sent the text he sent another to his brother saying he would watch the boys until he could secure two tickets back. Right away he got a text back from Shawn saying the boys had two weeks off for holiday and they should stay in New York until it was over since everyone had to work. Neal smiled and agreed two weeks with his nephews teaching them all he knew.

When the plane landed Neal had his hands in his pockets as he watched for his nephews as they ran towards him and jumped on him in a hug. "Uncle Neal… we missed you…" they both said as they stood before the ex con. Neal smiled and hugged the boys and took their hands and led them through the airport to where he parked. "Now as the adult figure I should say I am very disappointed you ran away from home but I can't really judge since I did as well but when I was eighteen not eleven and twelve," Neal said as he waited for the boys to buckle up before he started up and returned home.

Driving home Neal watched the boys in the rearview mirror every chance he got and smiled. "You two didn't give us any warning so you'll have to stay on the couch in the TV room until we can get a couple air beds since you're here for your vacation," Neal said as he pulled off the highway and drove through the Cobble Hill area until he pulled up to the curb. Getting out of the car with the boys Neal locked the doors and brought them inside and brought them downstairs. "You two can watch TV for a while if you aren't tired… but keep the volume down we have neighbors here unlike back home," Neal said as he hugged the boys and made his way upstairs. Kicking his shoes off he flopped onto the bed ready to sleep and slipped out of his pants and tossed them on the floor and sat up to pull his shirt off and dropped it beside the bed. Dragging himself to the bathroom Neal brushed his teeth and got back to his room and crawled into bed and fell asleep in Peter's arms.

* * *

Peter woke the next morning and dragged himself downstairs and found his nephews trying to make breakfast and making a huge mess instead. Chuckling he walked over and stood over the boys. "I see you two couldn't wait to eat," he remarked as he helped clean up the mess on the counter. Making a cup of coffee he knew Neal would be down soon. Neal came downstairs after a few minutes and yawned as he took a cup of coffee from Peter. "You should get ready for work," he said as he sipped his coffee.

"You're right I should get ready…" Peter said as he kissed Neal quickly and ran upstairs to get dressed. When he came downstairs Neal handed him the keys to the Porsche "I need your car for shopping and the boys, you can take mine," he said with a smile.

As soon as Peter left Neal looked at his nephews "First things first we're going to go get some beds for you two and some more food. Grabbing Peter's keys from the counter he left with the boys and made sure the house was locked up. Heading into the city Neal decided to treat the boys to a lesson in conning and brought them to the same street corner he met Mozzie at and saw that no one was running a game. Heading into a pharmacy he bought a deck of cards and went outside and borrowed an unused table from a street seller. Setting his con up quickly Neal instantly drew a crowd with his charming smile. After getting a guy to put down a couple hundred Neal let him win the first round and Michael and Patrick watched from the top of the wall they were sitting on.

"Come on once more let a man try and win some money back… a guy's got to feed his sons I'll even throw another hundred in the pot" Neal said nodding up toward the boys as he shuffled the three cards on the table. Once the money was down on the table he slipped the cards around the table with swift movements and won three hundred dollars from his mark. Before anyone could call cheat Neal nodded for the boys to run off as he spotted a beat cop walking toward the gathering group. Snatching the money Neal made sure he had the cards also not leaving any finger prints behind. Meeting up with his nephews he split the money between them. "That was lesson one, but build up to card scams… start small," Neal said as he walked the boys into a group of people and picked a pocket and slipped the wallet out of a man's pocket and pocketed it in his jacket pocket quickly.

Once they were alone again he crouched down. "When you take a wallet, always keep the cash but never take the cards they're too much trouble. You can send the wallet back or even drop it at a police station lost and found just to keep you off their radar," he said as they went to the zoo and walked around. When it got close to lunch Neal decided having lunch with Peter would be a nice treat. Going back to the car Neal drove to the FBI and went up to the familiar office with the boys. "Behave… this is a place where you never pickpocket," he said as they walked into the office and up to Peter's.

Peter walked out of his office with the director of the D.C White Collar crimes when Neal and the boys appeared. "Neal you remember the director, he sat our table at the lunch we had on the last day of the conference," Peter said as he stood to the side. Neal smiled as he shook the other man's hand. "Of course I remember him, hello again sir it's been a while, you wouldn't mind if I stole Peter for an hour and half for lunch?" Neal asked. "Go right ahead, and take your time," he said as he let the family walk off. Peter put his arm around Neal as they got in the elevator. "So what did you three do this morning?" Peter asked as he looked at the boys.

Patrick smiled. "Uncle Neal taught us how to play three card Monty… he won three hundred dollars and then he taught us how to pick pockets… it was a lot of fun then we went to the zoo and saw all the animals…I liked the otters they were so cool especially how they open oysters," Patrick said unaware of the trouble he just got his uncle in. Peter looked at his husband with a 'we are going to talk about this later' look on his face. Neal smiled and gave Peter a peck on the cheek to calm him down. "It's just a little harmless conning," he said as the elevator doors opened in the lobby. Peter composed himself as they left the building and walked with Neal and the boys to a small café close by that served lunch. Once the boys were seated Peter yanked Neal into the back café area that was empty at the moment.

"Seriously Neal… conning, you realize if you get caught again I can't cover for you, you could be arrested again and go back to jail… that means no way we'll be allowed to adopt. Just promise me you'll take it easy with anything illegal for a while… okay?" Peter asked as he smirked. Crossing his fingers Neal smiled his most charming smile he had in his arsenal. "Of course Peter... no more I promise… for now," he said with a laugh as he took Peter's hand and brought him back to the table where the boys were still reading the menu. As they ordered Neal's phone went off, excusing himself Neal went outside to take the call. Three minutes later Neal came back inside beaming. "Mozzie just called…he pulled some strings and got us an appointment in an hour at the Manhattan office of New York State adoption," Neal said with a smile.

The agent sat there for a moment "Neal… I have to wor..." he stopped speaking when he saw Neal pouting. "Alright… we'll go," he said bending to Neal's will again. When they finished lunch Peter grabbed his keys from Neal and went to get the car. Driving uptown he realized just how lucky they were to actually have an appointment. Walking inside the building he could feel the happiness coming off Neal in waves.

* * *

Once in the office's waiting room Neal tapped his foot as he tried to calm his nerves. Patrick and Michael sat by their uncle. "Mr. Burke… Mr. Caffrey you can come in now, I'm Lisa Collins I'm the director here," the woman said with a smile. Neal chewed on his bottom lip as he took a seat beside Peter on the love seat as the director sat across from them with a clipboard on her lap ready to take notes. "When one of my best donators calls and tells me his best friend is looking to adopt I just couldn't say no, Mozzie is a wonderful man and he has given so much to us money and time wise. He never told me his friend was the famous Neal Caffrey, I followed your case when I was in the last years at law school…I'm a big fan of your work," Lisa said stroking Neal's ego a bit.

"Well since I am the director here I usually don't take a lot of cases but I really want to get to know you better… and since I'm not swamped with cases this could go by really quickly let me just walk you through the process. First you'll need to take home this application and fill it out and then mail it or bring it in personally. It then has to be approved and then you can start the home study process and appointed parenting classes that you both have to take. They are only an hour long and on the weekends mostly for a few months. If all of that goes well then we start looking for a child, once we find one that both of you want before you can start visiting with the child for a little while in the beginning then the meetings will get longer until you can take him home. It is during those three months that I could drop by at any time to check on you. Finally if everything goes according to plan you just need to file the adoption papers in court or you can hire a lawyer to do it and then be a family," Lisa said with a smile as she handed a medium sized folder over of paperwork to Neal.

Peter looked at the file and knew that his weekend plans were gone and that he would be answering personal questions all weekend once the boys were asleep. "Before we get too involved in this process, just what are our chances of actually being approved as adoptive parents? I know a lot of agencies don't like same sex couples adopting. So before Neal gets his hopes up I just want to know the truth," Peter said being protective of Neal. Lisa smiled "We are not one of those agencies…we're just trying to find homes for these children and same sex parents love their children just as much as a straight couple…and just between the three of us I'm just not sure yet I won't know until that application is processed, but I will work hard to help you two and just be honest on the application the people who are rejected get caught in lies," Lisa said as she stood up. "I have a meeting to get to but please call me if you have any questions my number in on the card in the file," she said walking them out to the waiting room where Patrick and Michael were waiting.

"Uncle Neal do you have a baby yet?" Michael asked as he hopped off the chair he was sitting on before. Neal picked his nephew up and smiled. "Not yet but this is Ms. Collins and she's going to help us get a baby if we're approved… Lisa these are my nephews Michael and Patrick they are on holiday from school…and they came to stay for two weeks," Neal said as he pointed them out. "Well it's a pleasure to meet you boys and I hope to get you a cousin to play with soon," she said as she walked them to the door. "I'll see you soon, bye" she said waving them off as they got into the elevator.

Back in the lobby Neal grabbed the keys from Peter. "We'll drive you back to work and then go home and I'll get started on the paper work right away," Neal said as they climbed into the car and dropped Peter back at the FBI office. Driving back home Neal stopped at the store and picked up some food for dinner enough for four people and a couple things for the boys to do to keep busy besides watching things on the TV. "Why don't you two go play down stairs with the stuff I got you and try not to make a mess," Neal called as he set the file on the table and started to thumb through the long arduous paperwork before him.

* * *

At quarter to seven Peter walked in the front door and found that Neal was hunched over the table with paperwork spread out everywhere. Peter could tell immediately that Neal was wound tighter than a spring because of the paperwork he was filling out. Moving carefully he put his hand on Neal's shoulder and watched him jump. "Sorry but you looked like you were about to go crazy with all this," Peter said as Neal stood up. "What are you doing home so early? I haven't started dinner yet," Neal said as he gave Peter a quick welcome home kiss. "Neal it's quarter to seven; have you been working on this since you got home?" Peter asked grabbing a few pages and looking them over. Pulling the papers away Neal put them all in order and back in the folder before putting it on the bookshelf behind the table so it was safe from being ruined. "Yeah I guess I have… I should make a quick dinner for you guys," he said moving toward the small kitchen area. Peter grabbed Neal's arm and pulled him back. "I'm not that hungry but you should make something for the boys then join me upstairs… but better still why don't you call Mozzie first and dump the boys on him for a while…" Peter said keeping Neal close.

Pulling his cell phone out Neal hit the speed dial. "Hey Moz it's me can you take Michael and Patrick for the night… I'll explain the rest later just let them stay the night and feed them…okay, they will be waiting for you," Neal said as he kept his voice calm as he tried to ignore Peter's hand moving down his back. Pulling away Neal walked toward the basement stairs. "Patrick, Michael can you come up here for a moment," Neal called as the boys ran upstairs. "How would you two like to learn some more cons from the man who taught me?" Neal asked. Both boys nodded and smiled. "Good Mozzie will be here soon and he'll teach you everything he knows and bring your stuff you're staying the night," Neal said as the boys broke into a pair of grins before rushing back downstairs to get their things together. Once Mozzie arrived and took the boys out for pizza Neal smirked and shut the door as he looked at Peter.

Peter put his arms around Neal and kept him close. "What would you like to do now?" Neal smiled as he pulled away and grabbed the paperwork from the shelf. "Can we finish this please I was almost done when you came home," he said as he gave a charming smile and sat at the table again. Peter chuckled and went to the fridge to get a beer before he sat down and started to look the papers over. By nine Neal finished up the paperwork and sighed when he saw that Peter had gone upstairs already. Putting the finished paperwork away Neal made his way upstairs and found Peter waiting for him. Moving over to the bed Neal smiled. "Before you even say it I'm not going to get my hopes up I promise…" Neal said as he crawled onto the bed and sat in the middle his shirt already gone. "Oh and I want you to get rid of your new CI I don't like her at all," the ex con said as he leaned back against the pillows.

"Why? Is it because she has large breasts?" Peter asked as he crawled over Neal with a smirk. "No she's a brunette and I know for a fact that brunettes get you all hot and bothered…" Neal remarked with a smirk. "You know I can't get rid of her just for that, but maybe if you show me what I can come home to every night I won't even dare stray," the agent remarked as Neal flipped him over and pinned him down on the bed and leaned over Peter. "I can make you never want to leave me," Neal whispered as he reached over and shut the light off on the night stand.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Peter woke during the night and felt Neal curled up against him still. The glow of the moon cast shadows around the room. Looking down at Neal, Peter thought about when less than two hours ago he had the younger man moaning and begging. You could never imagine that was Neal especially with how innocent he looks now, Peter thought as the younger man rolled over in his sleep with the moonlight falling over his face. Sitting up a bit more Peter remembered what had woke him in the first place. He thought he heard something downstairs and was going to check it out. Getting out of bed carefully Peter grabbed his gun from the drawer that Neal made him lock it in and crept downstairs to look around. When he couldn't find anything he returned upstairs and found Neal sitting up in bed. "Did I wake you?" Peter asked as he put his gun away and crawled back into bed. "Yeah… did you hear something though?" Neal asked as he slipped back into his husband's arms. Peter shook his head. "It was probably Mrs. Robertson's cat again in our trash again," Peter remarked as he lay back down. Relaxing his body the ex con closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep all his worries gone by the arms holding him close. Peter closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

* * *

Waking to blaring alarm clock on the nightstand Peter sat up in bed and saw Neal walk into their room wearing just a pair of jeans, his wet hair still dripping. "Hey… I'm going to go drop the paperwork at the adoption agency then I'm going to pick the boys up," Neal said as he slipped a t-shirt on and began to towel dry his hair. "You know you look really sexy in jeans and a t-shirt even more than those suits of yours," Peter remarked. Neal chuckled and tousled his hair before grabbing his keys and leaving. "Don't be late for work!" Neal called as he left the house. After driving to the agency Neal waited in the office with the folder.

Walking into the waiting room Lisa smiled "Mr. Caffrey it's so nice to see you so soon, I'll take that folder and get to work right away. I can start a home study today actually since I don't have any other pressing cases other than yours. Once I have yours and Peter's medical records as well as your criminal history I will call you in a few days to tell you if you have been accepted," Lisa said with a smile as she shook Neal's hand and walked him to the elevator Neal drove to Mozzie's to pick the boys up. "Okay today we have something important to do; we're going to make the house look nice and you two will keep you lips zipped about all the conning of that lady you met yesterday from the agency. She will be coming over to check out the house to make sure it's a good environment for children," Neal said as he drove them all home.

Parking the car where Peter usually parked Neal ushered the boys inside to help clean. Once he got them started Neal headed upstairs to his and Peter's bedroom and found the bed made already with clean sheets and a comforter. Neal then went to the other bedroom that was still being used as an art studio; and began to clean it before heading to the bathroom. He then ended up downstairs to tackle the dishes. Neal had just put the last of them away when the doorbell rang. Walking over Neal opened the door with a smile. "Lisa, please come in would you like some coffee or tea?' Neal asked giving a charming smile as the boys came running up the stairs. "Why don't you two go play outside on the patio for a while," Neal said as they ran out. "Don't forget your coats!" Neal yelled after them as they came back and grabbed their coats and went outside.

"Before we sit down for any interviewing over coffee, why don't you show me around and tell me a little more about you and Peter that you haven't put in your application. I want to get to know the real couple. How did you two fall in love, stuff like that," Lisa said as she opened up her notebook to take notes on the house for her report. "I guess we had feelings the day we first met face to face but our first kiss wasn't until almost five years later he caught me off guard after I told him he could kiss me…" Neal said remembering back to the case that had started them down their current path in life as he led Lisa through the house. Leading Lisa upstairs to the bedrooms Neal showed her the master bedroom and the art studio. "Right now this is where I paint but we were planning on converting it to a bedroom when we adopt if we are approved," Neal said as they headed to the television room in the basement.

* * *

When the tour was over Neal made coffee for the both of them as they sat at the table. "If you are approved and do adopt where are you planning on sending your child to school?" Lisa asked ready to take notes. "Peter and I haven't really talked about schools yet; I want one with an amazing art program of course, the closest one is the Packer Collegiate Institute about six blocks away from here, they have a great education program it's very well rounded," Neal said sipping some coffee. "I've heard of that place it is a very nice school and very expensive but an education from there could set any child up in an Ivy League college," Lisa said as she pulled a folder out of her bag. "According to your part of the application about your finances is this accurate? Do you really have a quarter of a billion dollars in banks overseas?" Lisa asked flipping to the page in question. "Yes, it is accurate under various accounts I do have that money; I dabbled in stocks over the years that have paid off well," Neal said earnestly.

"That is impressive…well the house is amazing too and in such a wonderful neighborhood. Now you don't have any problems with your neighbors or any dangerous animals around or weapons?" Lisa asked going through the checklist. Neal smiled again "Our neighbors love us; the only dangerous animal around here is Tabasco our sixty-two year old neighbor's cat; he has it out for Peter since he moved in here. The cat loves me and the boys and everyone else in the neighborhood. As for weapons Peter has a registered gun for work but I make him keep it in a locked nightstand. I'm not fond of guns really at all," Neal said answering the questions.

After taking a few more notes Lisa looked through the file some more "Now we need to talk about family, it says here your mother and stepfather live in Ireland with your brother and his two sons, tell me about them and what they do for a living? We like to get a well-rounded view of what life skills a child will learn from an adopted family," she explained. Sipping his coffee Neal nodded. "Well my mother is a retired school teacher. She taught for, I believe, thirty-three years. My brother was a mechanic at a local garage in Ardee at Christmas but he now owns and runs the place with a full staff and my stepfather has a current seat in the Parliament," Neal said as he finished his coffee and went to pour another cup. When the pen stopped scratching the young woman looked up "On the application you left Peter's side of the family mostly blank except for a sister, is there any bad blood on that side of the family?" she asked ready to take notes.

Nodding Neal sat back down at the table. "I can't speak for the sister but Peter's Mom, Caroline has made it clear. She wants nothing to do with us since she found out about our marriage and wish to adopt. I can only assume that Peter's father feels the same; so we left them out of the paperwork for now. We haven't talked yet about god parents or who would be the guardians if something happened to us," Neal said working on his second cup of coffee. "Well I think that's it, I just need those other records and I can go through them and type up my report. After that's done I can send it to the regional manager in Albany and hopefully you will be approved," Lisa said as she stood up. "I'll have Mozzie bring those over, he is my lawyer after all," Neal said as he walked his guest to the door.

Making a beeline for the phone Neal dialed Peter's office number and waited for him to pick up. "Hey, the home study is over and it went well. I called to say that you were right about my not listing all of my assets last night…it's a better idea to list only the legally acquired money only. I may be stylish but even I can't pull off jail house orange…" Neal said as he walked over to the window and watched the boys play. Peter chuckled over the line as he turned to look out over the city. "I told you so… I have to go now but I'll see you in a little while for lunch," Peter said as he hung up. Neal smirked and grabbed one of his dozens of sketch books he left around the house and went outside to watch the boys as he sketched.

* * *

The days passed by slowly for Neal as he waited for any call with the days turning into a week and one week turning into two. All of this waiting was putting Neal on edge with everyone around him to the point that he wasn't currently speaking to Peter. That came because of last night's discussion of how Neal was becoming too obsessive with waiting for the call. The discussion ended with them going to bed angry…a first in their current relationship. Peter looked at his watch noting that it was time for work and got up from his seat and waited until Neal looked up. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said what I did," Peter apologized as he leaned down and kissed Neal's forehead. "Apology accepted… if you take the trash out when you leave for work," Neal said with a smile. When the phone began to ring Peter backed away quickly to avoid being mowed over as his husband rushed to answer the call.

"Burke res-… oh hey Lisa… uh huh… yeah…no I understand…no thank you…talk to you soon bye," Neal hung up and tried to keep a straight face as he turned around, but when he saw Peter he couldn't hold it in any longer. Breaking into a wide smile he started to laugh. "We've been accepted! Starting next week we have to go to the eight weeks of parenting classes starting. Peter this is something that we both have to do," Neal said as he threw his arms around Peter hugged Neal tightly and with a small kiss Peter pulled away. "You get the information about the classes and we'll go and don't worry we won't miss one of them. I have to go now and earn some money…remember the boy's flight is at seven tonight so make sure they are there on time," Peter said as he kissed Neal goodbye for the day and ruffled both boys' hair. "I'll see you guys, but next time you come to visit call us first okay…" he said as they nodded before he left to go to work.

Neal smiled as he clean up breakfast and looked at the boys. "How about one more day of museums and we'll keep your bags in the car," Neal said as he looked at his nephews. "That means go pack up and hurry up; I'll wait," Neal said as he made a couple calls. The first one to his mother with the good news and that he would have the boys on the plane. When the boys were done packing Neal loaded the bags in the trunk of his car and got them into the car and headed into the city. Touring museums the whole day Neal kept an eye on the time so he knew when to head to the airport to get through the checkpoints with the boys. At four Neal drove to the airport and walked them through the checkpoints and made it to the gate with enough time to spare. "We're going to sit around for a while and wait, and when you get home I want you to promise your dad you won't do this again without his permission," Neal said being the authority figure for once. "Okay Uncle Neal…" both boys said in a bored tone that he knew meant they were listening. When it was finally time to board Neal hugged each boy tightly before they showed the attendant their tickets and passports before they were let on the plane.

When the plane finally took off Neal gave a small smile and pulled out his phone and called Peter. "Hey you… did they make it on time?" Peter asked with a smile in his voice. "Yeah they just took off, I was about to head home are you still at work?" Neal asked as he headed to the parking lot. "Yeah this damn case is got us all on edge why don't you come down and help… we have take-out and you can help get me home sooner and Kandi wants to meet you she has a lot of questions," Peter said as he leaned back in his chair. Neal froze for a second in the terminal by the door. "Whose Kandi I thought your new CI's name was Cassie…" Neal remarked a flash jealously not very hidden in his voice. "That is Kandi she wants us to call her that now… oh I have to go now Kandi is just walking in… I have to give her the proper work attire speech again and how miniskirts and low front tops aren't regulation" Peter said as he hung up.

Diana smirked "How long will it take him to get here you think?" she asked as she dropped another file on Peter's desk. "Well with the amount of jealousy in his voice I give him twenty minutes before he walks in that door… besides getting Neal riled up like this either means two things one I'm sleeping on the couch or the best jealousy sex in the world," Peter remarked with a shrug that made Diana laugh. "Oh you're bad and he's not going to like being conned like that, I'll even bet you he's here in under twenty minutes," she remarked going back into the other room to work with the team as they tried to crack their newest case.

Arriving at the office with six minutes to spare Neal walked in and saw Peter in his office reading over files. Going up the small stairs Neal walked into the office and saw there were no open places to sit. Walking around the desk Neal smiled as he planted a kiss on Peter's temple making him jump and sit back with enough space for Neal to sit on his lap comfortably. Parking himself on Peter's lap so he was using Peter as a chair Neal rested his back against his husband's chest for a moment before leaning over and looked at the files. "So someone is on your radar and you have no idea who he is just that he's robbing people blind and no one can give a description nor do we have a picture of him… interesting," Neal said in a professional tone as he moved his hips a bit to get comfortable. Peter groaned a bit knowing exactly what Neal was trying to do. "Stop it Neal we're at work right now leave this for home," Peter grit out as he attempted to get out from under the other man. Smirking Neal got up and chuckled "Oh fine…now back to this case, whoever this is… they are good but they have no style nothing that is like a big sign that says I'm over here," Neal said taping the folder on the desk.

"Okay then, say you're the agent on the case how would you go about trying to catch this person in the act?" Peter asked. Neal smirked and paced the length of the room for a moment. "Well I'd take a page out of your book and tempt them into coming where I want them too… just like you did with me…drop a few hints about their type of art being moved into a private collection and watch the location like a hawk…just like you did," Neal said as he approached Peter until their bodies were just touching. "Then slap the cuffs on them when they show up," Neal whispered as he stepped away with a smirk. "That's the first thing we tried but they never showed…" Peter said as he dropped into his chair and sighed. Before Neal could say anything there was a knock on the door that made Neal look, in the doorway stood Peter's new twenty-something CI that as far as Neal could see was dressed just short of being called a hooker. "If you're done in here I was thinking maybe I could get some lap time with the big boss," she remarked. Neal felt the self-control he had snap like a twig at the comment. "Excuse me?" Neal asked as he turned around facing the petite woman in the doorway.

She smirked and placed a hand on her hip. "I just wanted to know if I could have a moment with my boss like you did without a fight or do I have to overthrow the new queen of the castle like you did to his first wife? I mean there is only so many times he can fuck you so you stay a good little con… when it's obvious he wants someone like me," Kandi said with a smirk. Neal moved quicker than Peter could blink and he heard the slap before he even saw it happen. Neal was seething as he stood there looking down at the shorter woman breathing like an angered bull. Before Peter could react Kandi jumped at the younger man and threw a punch as strong as she could muster. Dodging the punch Neal moved out of the way and stormed out of the office to try and clear his head. Before he even reached the bottom step the girl was on his back pulling at his hair.

Backing up to avoid Kandi pulling his hair Neal crashed into Jones' desk and knocked the monitor to the floor with a crash loud enough to gain the attention of the other agents. Filing out of the conference the other agents watched as the former consultant and his new vixen of a CI. No one moved to stop them as their fight escalated and began to destroy the bull pen area. It was only when Hughes walked in from the elevator yelling did the fight stop. "I come in to get something from my office and I find a former CI fighting our new CI and destroying the office and none of my agents are moving to stop them!" he roared as Neal slowly got to his feet and rubbed his bleeding lip on the back of his hand. Peter walked over and looked at his husband. "Don't think you two are getting off so easily. You two are going to clean up this whole mess right now… Neal you stay on this side and Kandi over there," Peter said as he watched Kandi move to the other side of the room and begin to clean up the mess they made.

Peter stood in the middle of the bull pen to make sure another fight didn't erupt. When everything was back in place Peter moved to Neal's side and put an arm around him and kept him close. "Peter… is that offer still open for being a paid consultant?" Neal asked loud enough to catch everyone's attention. "Yeah the offer is still open… but it's only on a need you basis so you'll have a lot of free time also," Peter said knowing that Neal would like to have a flexible schedule. "I can live with that," Neal said as he put his head against Peter's shoulder to rest. Giving a small smirk Peter sat Neal down and grabbed an ice pack from the freezer in the kitchen area and wrapped it in a paper towel before putting it against Neal's split lip. "I want you to go up to my office and work on the case," Peter said as he pointed at his office. Neal nodded and walked back to the office and dropped into Peter's chair to look the files over again.

When the agent returned to his office he moved around the desk and leaned over. "I know you want her gone but next time let me take care of it in a legal way," Peter said with a chuckle as he looked at the files. "This person whoever they are I can't get a read on them…bring a copy home with you tonight, I'm going to go home and just crash," Neal said giving a yawn. "Alright, let me walk you to the elevator," Peter said as he led Neal out of his office and out to the lobby to wait for the elevator. "Don't work too late tonight…unless they are giving you tomorrow off to rest," Neal said with a smirk as he got into the elevator and pressed the button for the main lobby with a wave.

* * *

After driving home Neal turned a couple lights on in the living room and kitchen and poured himself a glass of wine from his stash on the counter and made his way over to the loveseat where he left the book he had been reading the other night. Running upstairs to change he realized how empty the house was. Heading back downstairs in just a pair of pajama pants that felt great against his skin Neal locked the front door and curled up on the couch with his book to read while he waited for Peter to come home. Picking up his wine glass he swirled it lightly before he sipped the sweet wine as he started to read the book again. After six pages and half of the wine he poured in his glass Neal began to feel tired. Putting the glass down so as not to spill it on the carpet Neal put a bookmark in the soft cover book he picked up on being a first time parent and moving into a more comfortable position on the love seat he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Neal woke abruptly to the sound of a loud crash that made the house shake. Bolting upright he noticed three things right away, the first was it was beyond pitch black in the house despite the fact night lights were dotted all around for safety, the second was that he was no longer on the loveseat anymore, and finally the feeling of someone standing in the shadows staring at Neal was starting to get to him. Crawling across the bed to the nightstand Neal grabbed the switch on the lamp and turned it a couple times to find it wasn't turning on. Just then another rumble of thunder shook the windows.

"Blackout… wonderful…" Neal mumbled as he fished around in the drawer for a flashlight. Turning it on he scanned the room and found it was empty. Lowering his head the ex con felt stupid for acting like such a little kid. Moving back to the dresser Neal grabbed his cellphone to check the time and found that it was twenty after three in the morning. It wasn't until he moved back to the bed that he realized that Peter wasn't there. Picking up the flashlight again Neal moved out into the dark landing and moved the circle of light around looking for anyone else before making his way down to the first floor. Neal tightened his grip on his cellphone still in his hand as he looked around. "Peter if you're down here, just tell me alright stop trying to scare me…please," Neal said as he panned the flashlight around to examine the area.

Feeling like he wasn't alone Neal hit the speed dial for Peter's cell to see if he could find him that way. As the phone rang Neal heard nothing in the house other than the rumbles of thunder and the flashes of lightning. "Mm hello…" Peter said his voice barely audible on the phone. Lifting the phone to his ear Neal swallowed the fear that had rose up. "Peter where are you?" Neal asked as he slowly crept back to the stairs and sat down on the bottom stair. "I'm still at the office; when the power went around eleven Jones managed to find a few cots for the few of us that were still here and we decided to stay the night… didn't you get my message?" he asked sleep still evident in his voice. Moving the flashlight around to keep an eye on the shadows Neal gave a deep swallow of a new wave of fear. "That means you never came home…"Neal mumbled as the room filled with lightning again this time a figure by the window caught his eye.

Dropping the flashlight and jack rabbiting up the stairs Neal locked himself in the bedroom. "Peter… uh do you keep a backup gun in the house?" Neal asked as he tried to make his way around the dark room. "No, you know it's just the one. Why? What's wrong?" Peter asked as he sat up on the cot. "I thought I saw someone downstairs but it must have been just a shadow… so maybe I was just seeing things…"the ex con said sheepishly as he lay back down on the bed. "Neal… there is no one in our house; you're just tired. Go back to bed and get some sleep. I will be home when the sun comes up; I'll talk to later," Peter said before hanging up. Hanging up Neal put his cell on the nightstand and sighed as he tried to get comfortable while trying to calm his nerves. Drifting off to sleep slowly Neal let the overwhelming feeling to sleep takeover and override the fear he felt letting the dream of his future with Peter calmed him.

When Peter finally made it home later in the morning he made his way upstairs and found the bedroom door propped open with a chess pawn carved out of marble. Slipping downstairs Peter grabbed a plastic sandwich bag and went back upstairs and picked up the chess piece using the bag and pocketed it before walking into the bedroom to kiss Neal awake. "I searched the house and no shadow man okay?" Peter asked with a small smile as he kissed Neal again. "I was so sure I saw someone," he mumbled trying to remember what exactly he saw. _How can I keep this from Neal…he should know the truth, but if he knows the truth he'll never let me work late,_ Peter thought as he climbed onto the bed and held Neal close.

=Contemplating telling Neal the truth Peter closed his eyes and put Neal's head under his chin. "It was probably just your tired mind and a trick of the light is all," Peter lied. The small stone pawn in his pocket pressing against his thigh making him question the lie he told even more. Giving a small nod Neal sighed "I guess your right…I'm just glad your home," Neal said as he got comfortable and closed his eyes. Waiting until Neal's breathing evened out signaling he was asleep again Peter slipped out of bed and made his way downstairs and pulled the bag from his pocket and looked at it for a few minutes before he put it back and looked around the house for anything else that was out of place. Not able to find anything Peter sat at the kitchen table and stared at the surface as he wrestled internally with his choices. As he sat there he heard the telltale beep of the clock on the microwave turning on. Looking up from his thoughts Peter grabbed his phone and called Diana and asked her to come over and to bring Jones with her.

Peter was waiting outside with a cup of coffee when they arrived. "We have to talk…you remember early this morning where Neal called and I told you he thought he saw someone, well I think he really did see someone. When I got home I found this propping the bedroom door open," Peter said as he pulled the chess piece out of his pocket in the bag and handed it to his agents. Diana took the bag and looked at the pawn. "I want that sent to the lab for finger prints but this person wouldn't have been careless… I also want a team to watch the house especially if I'm working late again," Peter said worried that Neal was in danger.

"Don't worry, we'll take care of everything you have nothing to worry about," Diana assured her friend and boss as she and Jones stood up to leave. "You should talk to Neal and tell him about this before he starts to think he's crazy," she said as she and Jones left to drop the chess piece off at the lab to be tested. _I promised on our wedding day that I would protect him and the best way to do that is to not say anything for now._ Peter thought as he got up and went back inside to reprogram the digital clocks. Walking into the house he found Neal standing in the middle of the room giving a weak smile before walking over and hugging him. "Neal we should talk about what you saw… the shadow, it wasn't in your head… someone was in our house," Peter said as waited for Neal to react. "So I'm not crazy, someone was in our house that explains how I fell asleep down here and woke up in our bed…" Neal said his voice dropping off at the end as he started to feel his mind connect to what Peter was telling him. Peter pulled Neal closer and held onto him. "Whoever that was is never getting in here again," Peter promised as he kissed Neal's forehead.


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for taking so long I went away to Otakon in Baltimore and now writing again YEY please review this chapter or someone gets shot in the head please and thank you LOL and by someone I mean Neal or Peter.**

**Chapter 6**

Peter walked downstairs it had been a week since the shadow man broke in. Walking to the table Peter found Neal at the kitchen table holding another marble chess piece in his hand. "I found this on the kitchen table," Neal said looking down at his hands. Peter walked over and sat down across from his husband before reaching over and taking the black queen out of Neal's hands. He put it down before taking Neal's hands in his. "Peter… the team didn't see anything, I think we should get a dog… a big one from a shelter," Neal remarked the cogs in his mind already turning as he planned everything out. "Neal we're going to our first parenting class tonight, I don't think a dog is a good idea right now," Peter said trying to avoid getting a dog that would destroy the house. "But Peter… you're not always-" Neal was cut off by a raised hand that turned into a pointing finger.

"No dog…" Peter said ending the conversation.

"But…" Neal started only to go quite at the look Peter gave him.

"Fine… no dog… I'll go see Mozzie today then since I'm not needed at the office right now," he said getting up from the table. Right away the agent knew that leaving his husband to his own devices he would end up coming home to a dozen dogs. "Oh no you don't, get dressed in something comfortable you're coming with me today," Peter said as he got up from the table and straightening his tie. Neal gaped for a moment then gave in and went upstairs to change.

Not playing fair Neal came downstairs dressed in jeans and a t-shirt with the light hoodie he knew Peter liked to see him in. Rolling his eyes Peter led Neal to his car and held his hand out. "Cell phone… I know you, now hand it over," he said. Digging his phone out of his pocket Neal handed it over and crossed his arms over his chest in a pout. Peter slipped the phone into his jacket pocket and got into the car with Neal who had taken to pouting in the back seat like a small child. "Really, just because I won't let you have a dog you're going to pout?" Peter asked as his husband looked out the window.

The drive to the office was quiet. Peter rolled his eyes when Neal decided to take the stairs instead of sharing an elevator with Peter. Waiting by the stairwell door Peter saw Neal as he came out of the stairwell and brushed past him. When they walked into the office the agents looked up for a moment and when they sensed the tension between the two quickly went back to their work. Diana walked up and handed Peter a couple files. "So you two excited about tonight?" she asked hoping to lighten the tension around the two. Neal turned to Peter in the middle of the bullpen. "I don't know… Peter, are you still looking forward to it or do you want to say no to that too?" Neal asked his voice rose a bit in volume.

"Really… you're going to cause a scene here…over me saying no to a dog," Peter bites back causing Neal to instantly shrink away from the raised voice. While he could handle regular banter and arguing Neal still couldn't take a voice being raised at him after his time in D.C. with Kramer. Peter immediately backed off when he saw Neal recoil at his voice. "It's not about the having a dog, Peter… it's the fact that you don't seem to care that I'm freaking out that someone is breaking into our home!" Neal yelled as he tried to leave the office only to have an arm block his exit. "Office now…" Peter said as he approached Neal and forced him up the stairs to his office before shutting the door. "You don't think I care, Neal… I wouldn't be illegally using my team to watch over us at night if I didn't worry about you every minute of the day," Peter said softly as he approached the younger man and pull him into a comforting embrace.

Bowing his head Neal gave a small smile as he put his forehead against Peter's shoulder. Moving over a couple steps Peter led Neal to his chair and sat him down. "Stay! I'll be right back and to make sure that you do," Peter added as he reached into his top drawer and quickly zip tied Neal's wrists to the arms of the chair. "Peter…what are you doing let me up," Neal demanded as he tugged on the ties a bit hoping they would come loose.

"I know you; if I let you go you'll manage to find a way to get a dog. All I want to wait is all… I'm already nervous about having the class tonight. I promise to let you go in a little while but right now I have to go to a meeting about a case. I'm leaving Roberts in charge of you," Peter remarked as he looked over his shoulder at the probie agent that was like a puppy already always trying to please him by doing a good job. Neal's smirk dropped he knew the agent well as a Peter clone; he was so by the book that he rubbed Neal the wrong way.

Peter knew he chose well because as he left the office he heard Neal trying to solicit him with a devil ham sandwich to let him up. After giving detailed instructions to everyone to ignore Neal, Peter left with Diana and Jones who he could tell were placing bets on how long Neal stayed tied to the chair. Peter knew that Neal would get away he always did when he wanted to. _ This will give him practice…he likes to keep his skills sharp,_ Peter thought as he left the office.

* * *

Two long hours later Neal had come to realize that the probie agent wasn't falling for any of his usual tricks. Deciding to pullout the big guns he started to belt out show tunes the ones he knew would get stuck in everyone's head for days. When a different agent came in to tell him to be quiet Neal begged to be let up to use the restroom. As soon as he felt the plastic releasing his wrists Neal walked out moving out of the way as a group moved to the elevator. He slipped into the open lift before his escort noticed and rode it to the lobby with a smile on his face._ Score one for me and zero for the new generation of FBI agents…_ Neal thought as he walked out of the lobby and hailed a cab and took it to Mozzie's nearest hideout where he knew he would be that day. Walking upstairs he kicked his shoes off and walked over to the tranquil area. "Hey Moz… I need a dog," Neal said sitting down beside his friend.

"And what does the Suit say about a four legged friend, does he approve… of course not, but doesn't he share a dog with the former Mrs. Suit… now current Mrs. Suit?" Mozzie asked with a chuckle that ruffled Neal's feathers. "Would you quit it with that joke already, and we do share Satchmo with El but with that shadow guy still breaking into our house I would feel safer if we had a dog…a big one maybe a German Sheppard," Neal said as he looked at the view Mozzie had. "I can arrange for one, house broken I assume… I'll call a friend of mine; Doug breeds German Sheppard's. Now I can't promise anything cheap but I can't have you wigging out. After all you're supposed to be the sane one," Mozzie said with a chuckle as he looked over at Neal as he pulled his phone out and made a call.

Neal waited and ignoring his own phone as he felt it vibrate in his pocket with messages from Peter. "Okay… he's got a one year old that he was having trouble getting rid of from his last litter; the little guy has a problem with stealing things so I said it was fine. He's going to bring him over to your place in an hour," Mozzie said as Neal got up from the floor and slipped his shoes back on. "Thanks Moz I owe you a bottle of wine for this," Neal called as he left.

Rushing home as fast as he could Neal sat outside as he waited for Doug. When he arrived Neal smiled at the dog that panted as he sat at the bottom of the stairs. "Hey you must be Doug and who is this handsome fellow?" Neal asked as he held his hand out. "This is Michelangelo or Momo for short. My sister's kid couldn't say his name so I started to call him Momo… he's a great guard dog, he's house broken and he knows a lot of commands and tricks, I brought his food bowl, bed, toys and a bag of the food I use and I can give you the address of the place I get the food from specially," Doug said. "How much do I owe you?" Neal asked as he rubbed the puppy's head. "Twelve hundred plus a fifty dollar donation to animal rescue," Doug said with a smile showing he was serious. Neal nodded as he went inside and wrote out a check to cash and the amount before signing it. Walking back outside Neal came face to face with Peter talking to Doug.

Walking out Neal handed the check over and took the leash as Doug made a quick exit and unpacked the items and records for Neal and brought them to the patio for Momo's new owners. Neal stood stock still as Peter turned to him. "So you got a dog even after I said no," Peter remarked as he stood there. Holding onto the leash Neal lowered his eyes. "I told you… you're not always around Peter he's for protection," Neal said as he crouched down and let the dog come over to him.

"Neal, are you really ready to juggle a dog and a kid…you can barely keep yourself out of trouble on a good day. I'm surprised I haven't had a heart attack with all the stupid things you do," Peter argued trying to make a valid point. "Give me two examples," Neal demanded as he stood up. "Two? I can give you at least ten things you've done in the last few years that have nearly given me a heart attack. Let's see there was the time you jumped from the Judge's fourth story office, then there was time you confronted the Dutchman without back up… oh and let's not forget my favorite, the boiler room case where we both almost suffocated to death or were shot…"Peter said losing his cool. "Hey two of those were your cases… and the last one I did it to protect your ass from getting shot unless you forgot that; come on Momo…" Neal said as he tugged on the leash and brought the dog inside and shut the front door loudly behind him.

Peter winced he knew he was in trouble, sighing as he grabbed the dog things and brought them inside in two trips before going upstairs to find Neal on their bed with the dog lying beside him taking up Peter's side of the bed. Stroking the dog's coat Neal looked up at Peter for a moment before looking into the dog's face. "I'm not giving him back you know… I used my own money to pay for him and I can juggle a dog and a kid," Neal said as the young dog licked his face and wagged his tail making him smile. Sighing Peter dropped on the edge of the bed and put his hand on Neal's leg. Sitting up Momo growled until Peter moved his hand and then dropped back next to Neal and licked his face again.

* * *

As the day continued Peter couldn't get more than three feet inside Neal's personal space with his new guard dog around. By seven Peter had enough of being ostracized from his own husband by his new overly attached dog. Walking over to the younger man he grabbed his arm and pulled him over ignoring the glare and growl from his dog. "Oh be quiet," Peter mumbled as pulled Neal into a kiss and didn't let go of him until he felt Neal tug away for air. "It's hard to stay mad at you when you do that you know," Neal remarked softly as he felt Momo bump up against him for attention.

"I think he wants dinner, I should feed him," Neal mumbled as the dog started to chew on his hand roughly in a playful way. Peter looked at the dog that seemed to be giving him a smile and released the younger man while he sat on the love seat. He watched as Neal got the food bowl and some food from the large bag they were given. Putting the bowl on the floor Momo pushed it around as he ate his dinner. "We have to go soon; we have our first class in an hour and we have to beat the traffic. Peter, don't worry about Momo, Mozzie will dog sit," Neal said as he tugged on Peter's arm.

Heading out Neal dragged Peter to his car after deciding to drive to the city. When they got to the adoption agency, where the class was being held, he parked and walked inside with his husband. Both smiled when Lisa rushed up to them. "You two made it, we have a smaller class this time around it's just four couples and we're going to have a little sit down to get to know everyone a bit beforehand," she said practically dragging the two men behind her.

By the end of class that night Peter debated if he could keep doing this for two nights a week for eight more weeks. Neal left Peter's side the moment class ended and began to chat with the others. "Neal, come on I have to work in the morning," Peter said as he finally managed to drag Neal away. When they got home with the take out they got on the way they found Momo waiting for them wagging his tail. "I thought you said Mozzie would be watching him?" Peter asked when he found the house empty. "Maybe he left already," Neal remarked before putting the food on the table and sitting down. Peter opened the front door and let Momo out for the night. "The gate is shut…right?" Neal asked seeing the dog just sniff around in the small grass area. Peter looked down the alley to make sure that the gate was shut. "Yes the dog won't get out, speaking of the dog you have to get him registered tomorrow for an ID tag," Peter said as he sat down and started to look over the records Doug had given them for their new family member. "While you're at it why don't you take him to the vet El and I use for Satchmo they're a good group of doctors, he will need yearly shots remember," he added. Neal nodded in agreement.

"Apparently his parentage shows a long line of dogs that work for the New York Police and a few show champions, so I guess this wasn't a total waste of money," Peter remarked earning a small pursed lip glare from Neal who decided not to respond as he opened the take out container and began to stab at the food in mixture of anger and annoyance. Peter could tell he was pushing his luck to the edge and decided to hold back on bringing up any cases for work. After a minute of trying to stab a particularly stubborn mini dumpling Neal slammed the carton down on the table making Peter look up and saw Neal with tears shimmering and threatening to fall.

Before he could even get up Neal broke down. "What…what if we do everything right and we never find the right child… I've read stories online about people like us and none of the children ever bonds with them and after a year or two they give up. We haven't even gotten through two classes and I can tell that your heart's not really in this," Neal said his fears overwhelming him.

Peter got up and put the forks in the sink and the food away before he walked over to Neal and pulled him upstairs. "Get changed into something comfortable we're going to just lay in bed and talk about this. Just the two of us," Peter offered as he started to change out of his day clothes into some old sweat pants. Neal changed quickly and sat cross legged on the bed and patted the edge as Momo hopped up and took his rightful place by his master and put his head on Neal's lap. Peter climbed onto the bed and relaxed against the pillows and let Neal fall back into his arms. "Don't worry about what may or may not happen; we're going to get through these classes first before we worry about whether or not we find a son or daughter," Peter said rubbing Neal's leg softly to keep him calm.

Talking softly Neal began to feel better about his worries when he heard Peter's phone on the nightstand start to go off. As he handed it over Neal stayed upright while waiting for the call to end. When the call was over Peter got off the bed and began to change his clothes. "That was Diana, the guy we've been after is making a move finally and is making a sale," Peter said as he dressed in dark pants and a shirt. "How long are you going to be?" Neal asked a twisted knot of worry building in his stomach. "A while, we have to wait for him to make the sale before we can move in and then we have to seize everything and get it into evidence but I'll try to get home before it gets too late," Peter said as he went to the nightstand and got his gun.

"Please be careful and come home safe…I don't need to get the call from Hughes saying you were shot," Neal said as he watched Peter finish getting ready. "I'll be on my guard at all times, I'm serious though don't wait up for me. Get some sleep; you look tired," Peter said as he kneeled on the edge of the bed and kissed Neal before leaving. Moving to the end of the bed Neal put his arms around his dog and hugged him before he got up and made sure the front door was locked. Heading back upstairs the ex con shut the bedroom door a bit and crawled back into bed to wait.

* * *

Bolting upright out of sleep Neal looked around for what woke him; it took his mind a minute to realize Momo was downstairs making a racket. Getting out of bed Neal carefully made his way to the door and opened it and came face to face with the man who had been breaking into his home. Moving back Neal heard a loud crash from downstairs and Momo rushing upstairs. Backing up Neal slammed the bedroom door shut and used his weight to hold it closed. Listening to the struggle on the other side of the door Neal rushed and grabbed his cell phone and dialed Peter's number as he moved back to the door and sat in the corner to keep the door blocked.

Waiting as the other line rang picked up Neal heard Peter pick up. "Neal… I'm just about to lead the raid can't this wait like twenty minutes?" Peter asked getting ready to hang up. "Come home… he's in the house," Neal yelled as he cried and buried his head against his knees. The FBI agent could hear a barking dog and yelling in the background. Peter put his head against his hand. "Alright Neal… I'll be right there," Peter said keeping the other man on the line. "Diana… you and Jones lead the raid I have to get home," Peter said as he slipped out of the van and made his way to where he hid his car. "Neal…I'm coming please don't worry," he said rushing home.

Neal held onto his phone as he listened to Momo, after a moment the young German Shepard came up to the door and scratched it. Getting up slowly the ex con opened the door a bit and let the dog wiggle into the room. Closing the door Neal wrapped his arms Momo's neck and held him. When Peter got to the house he moved carefully looking for any signs of the intruder before he made his way upstairs to find the bedroom door shut and giving a light knock he heard Momo growl. "Oh be quiet… Neal it's me open up," Peter said as the door opened slowly to let him in.

"Is he out there?"

"Who?"

"Keller, I saw him in our house," Neal said trying not to freak out as he put his arms around Peter and held onto him. Peter stood there for a moment to humor his husband. "Neal, Keller has been in jail for the last six months I know because I arrested him, he was not in our house you saw someone who looked like him is all…" he said trying to comfort the scared man. "Peter I know who I saw… it fits now all the chess pieces left around the house, it's him, I know what he looks like Peter I've worked with him enough to know his face," Neal said as he started to lose it a bit.

Moving Neal to the bed Peter sat him down "You're still half asleep Neal and you thought you saw him that's understandable but I'll prove it to you by calling the prison right now," he said picking up the phone and dialing the direct line to the federal prison's warden and putting it on speaker for Neal to hear. "Warden Swift…" the voice answered "Warden this is Agent Burke from the FBI; I called to check on one of your prisoners, a Matthew Keller," Peter said as he looked at Neal. "Keller he's sitting in solitary just like you wanted he hasn't done much in six months other than eat meals and sleep, so is that all?" Swift asked as he sat back in his chair.

"Yes and thank you sir," Peter said before hanging up. "See no Keller in our house," he said putting the phone back on the cradle and taking Neal's hand in his.

Nodding his head Neal forced a smile on his face "Yeah…no Keller; but whoever it was got a surprise with Momo here. I doubt he'll come back," Neal said trying to compartmentalize his problems and feel better. Peter looked over at the young dog and ruffled his fur a bit "I guess I can't complain about you anymore, good dog Momo," Peter said as he moved his hand and put an arm around Neal and held him close. "Lie down and try to go back to sleep I'm going to be downstairs calling Diana to see how the raid went," Peter said as he helped Neal lay down and turned the table lamp off. Patting his leg Peter led Momo out of the room and down the stairs. Pulling his phone out he called Diana "Diana I need you to get Jones and an evidence kit to my house looks like my new guard dog has some clues for us," he said before hanging up and keeping Momo from destroying the blood evidence on his muzzle and paws.

* * *

When the two agents arrived Peter held Momo's collar as they took samples of the blood from his mouth and under his claws. "I want those rushed to the lab and run it against every database you can think of tell the techs I'll owe them one if they do this off the books," Peter said as he cleaned Momo off before letting him go back upstairs to Neal. "So when did you get the dog?" Jones asked remembering the conversation the morning before at the office. "Neal got him yesterday after he slipped his detail at the office," Peter said after he realized the dog had only been in the house barely one day and he already wormed his way into Peter's heart. Bidding goodnight to the agents Peter locked the front door and made his way upstairs to find Neal sitting up in bed waiting for him. "I couldn't sleep…" he said softly as the older man got ready for bed and crawled to the head of the bed.

As soon as the couple was comfortable Momo hopped up and pushed his way into Neal's arms and snuffed loudly showing he was content. Looking over Neal's shoulder Peter rolled his eyes. "You know he can't stay like this," he said as he lay back down. "Oh come on Peter just one night; after all he did protect me from the big bad wolf," Neal remarked as he got comfortable. Sighing Peter gave a smile and kissed Neal's shoulder. "Just for tonight," he mumbled and went to bed.

At nine Peter woke to find the bed empty of Neal but not Momo who was on his back legs spread and tongue hanging out of his mouth. Getting out of bed Peter made his way downstairs with Momo at his feet and found a pot of coffee waiting for him and Neal sitting at the kitchen table. "Hey…Hughes called to say that he needed me to come in to authenticate the stuff from the raid and that you needed to sleep in today so you get to relax and I'll go make the money today," Neal said as he got up from the kitchen table wearing dark pants, a blue button up shirt and the jacket his mother bought him in Ireland. Completing his outfit were the sunglasses that Peter thought made him look sexy and rebellious and his favorite black hat. "Oh if you're going in dressed like that I'm going with you; someone has to make sure you don't steal the artwork," Peter remarked as he petted Momo as he trotted by. "Oh very funny, like I haven't heard that a million times," Neal said as he got his keys off the counter.

By the time they finally got to the evidence warehouse Neal was sporting a couple fresh hickeys and leading Momo on a leash. Neal left the dog with the agents by the door so he wouldn't contaminate anything before Peter led Neal to where the paintings and figures from the raid were. Neal took his hat and sunglasses off before putting the gloves on that Diana was offering him to look the first of many paintings over. An hour into looking at the first painting Neal stood straight up and cracked his back a bit and went back to work. Looking closely at the water he closes his eyes and groaned. "It's a fake…" he said standing back up so Peter could look it over. "Can you tell who did it where's the signature?" Peter asked looking for any indication the painting was a forgery. "Yeah… it's…uh…one of mine," Neal mumbled pointed out the very well hidden NC in the water ripple. Peter resisted the urge to smack his head against the wall. "So where is the real one?" he asked hoping that he wouldn't hate the answer.

"Actually I think I sold it… along with a couple others that aren't really here," Neal said sheepishly with a smile. "In my defense Peter it was before you arrested me when I wasn't even on American soil," Neal said holding his hands up as a white flag. Rubbing his forehead Peter sighed. "That's even worse Neal because these were originally stolen overseas by our guy before he came here and we're working in connection with Interpol to get these back to the owner. Neal looked down at the painting "I could always make a run for it," Neal remarked with a smile until he saw Peter's face. "Kidding… but I'll keep as an option; can't we just tell them it's a fake and not who painted it?" Neal asked hoping to find a loophole and keep himself out of international prison "No, we cannot lie to the FBI. You're not on probation anymore, and this could be very serious if you're caught in a lie now because you work for the FBI legally," Peter said sighing as he kept his voice down.

Neal knew he would have to come clean in his report when he typed it up later. Checking the rest of the paintings and figures Neal determined that only three were forgeries all done by him and the rest were the originals in the stolen collection. "Well I earned my paycheck for today; I'm going to take Momo to the vet. I managed to snag an appointment for today, but don't worry I will type my report and email it in later. Peter, are you hanging back or coming back with me?" Neal said as he took the leash from Jones who had been trying to get Momo to do a trick the whole time they were there. "I'm gonna stay for a while, I'll take a cab home later tonight. I need to start on my report anyway," Peter remarked as he gave Momo a quick pet and Neal a small peck on the cheek.

* * *

Driving to the vet's Neal parked his car and went inside and was led right into the exam room where the doctor was waiting. After a routine checkup and talking about Momo's records that were brought along Neal paid for the visit and got the paperwork to register Momo at city hall. Walking out of the building Neal started to head down the sidewalk when he felt Momo back into him and start growling. Looking at what Momo was reacting to the ex con froze as his ex-partner walked up to him. "Hey Caffrey…mutt," Keller said with a chuckle as he blocked Neal from going any further. "You're not real… you're in jail…Peter said so," Neal said trying to keep his breathing under control. "Oh did he? Well he's wrong… because here I am breathing the free air," Keller said moving in closer with a slight limp.

Neal wrapped the leash tighter around his hand the nylon leash cutting into his skin. "Mr. Caffrey…" Neal looked over and saw one of the vet techs running over. "You left your sunglasses in the waiting room," she said handing them over. Looking back Neal couldn't find any sign of Keller and saw that Momo was just sniffing the ground. "Uh thanks see you around," he said as he got into the car with Momo and drove home. Heading inside as soon as they got there Neal went inside and let the dog off his leash before pouring himself the first of many shots of tequila they got as a gift from Alex for their wedding.

By the time the bottle was empty Neal was sitting on the floor with Momo by the pantry door the empty bottle on the floor beside them. "I know I saw him this time Momo…unless I really am crazy…"Neal said slurring his words slightly as he hugged his dog and sighed. "Peter won't believe me…he didn't the first time," he added laid out on the floor and stared at the ceiling before slowly passing out from the alcohol in his system. Peter walked into the house a few moments later and grabbed the bottle from the floor prior to putting it by the sink as he got Neal onto his feet; he managed to get him onto the couch. "Neal…you're going to have one hell of a hangover later…"Peter remarked as he used his coat as a blanket for Neal.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Neal woke to a hazy mid-morning July day wearing nothing but a pair of boxer shorts. He made his way downstairs to look for Peter when he didn't see him on the first floor he made his way downstairs to the basement and found him at the desk going over some papers. "I thought you were going to sleep the whole day away," Peter remarked as he looked over his shoulder and looked his husband over as he dropped onto the couch and draped one leg over the arm of the couch and the other left hanging out. "I couldn't, it got to muggy upstairs…We need to get that central air fixed it was working last week and then nothing, I called the guy but he won't be here until tomorrow so we have to suffer until then," Neal said putting an arm over his eyes. "You slept better last night it's been a while since you had any nightmares or said you saw Keller anywhere," Peter said as he rolled his chair over and put his hand on Neal's ankle.

"Yeah no more bad dreams… it must have been the stress because I haven't seen him in weeks," Neal said as he sat up a bit and tried to remember the last time he even saw Keller or the hallucination known as Keller. "Well forget about him; our final parenting class is tonight with the test, we just have to do our best," Peter said hoping to keep Neal's mind off of his problem. "I know I can't believe it, also Todd and Terry invited us out for drinks afterwards to celebrate and I told them we would love to go," Neal said hoping Peter would come also. "Alright we'll go but we won't stay all night we have to work tomorrow remember, Hughes finally got to your report the other day and he wants to talk to us," the agent said.

Groaning Neal dropped back and ran his fingers through his slightly longer hair. "I wrote the truth I guess he wants to slap the cuffs on me tomorrow, oh well at least we passed the parenting classes basically," Neal remarked as he sat up and got off the couch. "I'm going to take a cold shower before I get ready," he mumbled as he headed for the full shower in the downstairs bathroom.

Peter chuckled and made his way upstairs to get dressed for the day. As he sat on the bed and thought back to the conversation he had with Diana the week before about the blood test that finally came back as inconclusive with no name in the system_. If it were Keller we would have gotten his name but that doesn't mean that he isn't pulling the strings from prison…but with Neal acting normal again I shouldn't push it_, Peter thought as he dressed and went downstairs to make lunch since he had nothing else to do that was related to work. As soon as lunch was ready Neal walked into the dining room in just a towel. "Did you make me anything?" Neal asked as he took a seat next to Peter and put his feet up in Peter's lap.

"Neal there is one thing we never talked about…if we do adopt a child who would take care of him or her if something happened to us?" Peter asked reached for the beer on the table. "I think maybe we should have your sister or my brother as our best choices as the guardians since they both have kids and I'm sure they can do it," Neal said with a smile. "Just as long as your parents don't have any interaction with our child," he added as he reached over and stole Peter's beer and took a long drink from it Peter gave a slight nod in agreement with his husband. "You'll hear no argument from me…now go get dressed already," Peter said as he watched Neal slowly stand up without his towel on as he made his way upstairs to dress in something casual that could keep him cool.

* * *

Half an hour later Neal came down dressed in a long-sleeved button up shirt and a pair of casual pants. "What took you so long; I finished eating and did the dishes in the time it took you to dress," Peter said with a small laugh. "Oh very funny… I had to look for something cool that I wouldn't get too hot in but now that I think about it this outfit might not work either. I'll be back," Neal said as he ran back upstairs and came back a few minutes later wearing a tank top, tighter pants and a hoodie over his arm. Looking at his husband Peter checked him out. "What… we're going to a club after and I want to look cool and get you a little jealous too," Neal said as he kept his hand on his hip. "What kind of club are we going to anyway?" Peter asked as he got up from the kitchen table. Neal shrugged his shoulders as he put his hoodie on and let it drape on his elbows a bit.

"I'm already jealous… the first person other than me to try and put their hands on you tonight is going to wish they never did," Peter remarked as he moved over and pulled Neal close. "Mmm, if this is going to lead to something then maybe we should hold off until after we pass the class to celebrate," Neal said trying to ignore how close he was to the other man. "Class starts in a couple hours why don't we take Momo for a walk before we have to go it will be fun," Neal said as he pulled away and grabbed Momo's leash.

Moving over to the young German Sheppard Neal clipped the leash to his collar. "A quick walk to the end of the street and back," Neal said as he made his way out the door for Peter to catch up to him. Smiling when he felt Peter's arm around his waist Neal led Momo down the sidewalk toward the corner. Looking around at the neighborhood the ex con was on his guard as he looked for any signs of Keller. "He's not around here… you don't have to worry," Peter said as he kept close to Neal to show him he cared and he was listening. As they walked together Neal felt better as he realized Peter was right about the blue collar criminal not being around. When the walk was over Neal brought Momo inside and gave him a treat and some fresh water. Walking back to the sink Neal noticed something on the floor and picked it up; right away he recognized it as a wallet. _ I know I didn't lift this wallet… and there is drool on it… Momo… he lifted a wallet;_ Neal thought as he moved over and stuffed the wallet under the loveseat cushion just as Peter walked into the house.

"We have to go or we're going to miss the test," Peter said as he led Neal out of the house. Throwing his hoodie on again and zipping it up Neal got into the car and ignored his stomach twisting in knots. Getting to the adoption agency they went inside and took their seats as the other potential parents filed in and got ready for the test that show how much they learned. As the test began Neal read the test over and realized he knew everything. Soon the room was filled the sounds of scratching pens. After the longest two hours of Peter and Neal's life the test was over. Leaving the small class room together they met up with their new friends to go out and celebrate. Neal was talking a mile a minute with Todd as they walked to their cars. "We'll meet you at the bar," Neal said as he got into Peter's car. Driving to the club Peter parked the car and looked at his husband. "Don't drink too much tonight," Peter warned as they got out of the car and met up with Todd and Terry before going into the club.

Met with loud music and dancing Peter felt out of place until Neal pulled him over to the bar and sat beside him as they ordered their drinks. After a couple drinks Todd managed to talk Neal into moving to the dance floor. Peter and Terry turned around to watch and talk about sports. Once tired from dancing Neal walked over and grabbed the beer bottle and chugged it down a bit to cool down. "Having fun?" Peter asked with a chuckle as he pulled the almost empty bottle from his husband and pulled Neal onto his lap. When the celebration came to a close Neal hung off Peter's shoulder and onto him. "Peter… you're so sexy when you get all possessive," Neal mumbled his voice slightly slurring as he crawled into the backseat and tugged on Peter's arm so he was sitting in the back seat next to him. Smirking Neal leaned over and closed the passenger door and locked it before leaning in and kissing Peter. Moaning softly Neal grabbed onto Peter's jacket and moved so he was straddling his lap. Peter smirked and threaded his fingers in Neal's hair and held him close.

Pulling back for air Neal panted softly and looked at Peter. Seeing movement out of the corner of his eye Neal looked out the back window and shot up quickly slamming his head on the roof of the car causing him to cry out in pain as he blinked back tears. "He's out there…I'm not crazy Peter, Keller was right there outside the car," Neal said moving off Peter's lap and keeping a hand on growing lump on his head. Unlocking the door Peter got out of the car and looked around. Not finding anyone out there he stuck his head back in the seat. "There is no one out here Neal… I think you had a little too much to drink tonight is all," Peter said as he closed the door and got into the driver's seat and drove home.

Once they were home and the car was parked Peter dragged Neal inside and put him to bed. "He is out there…please believe me Peter I'm not crazy," Neal mumbled as Peter petted his hair "I know you're not crazy Neal… but you have to remember that Keller is in jail safely behind bars so he can't harm you again, so you didn't see him you just think you did," the agent said as he worried about his husband. "You don't believe me…" Neal said as he sat up and grabbed his pillow. "I'm going to go sleep on the couch," he said sitting up in bed. Grabbing Neal's arm Peter pushed him back down onto the bed and lied down next to him and held him close. "I'm sorry… listen I believe you saw someone just not Keller is all," Peter said as he petted Neal's hair a bit as he leaned in and kissed the other man.

Pulling away Neal turned his head "I feel like I'm losing my mind with my seeing him everywhere and I know I can't say anything or it could make me look like I'm unfit to be a parent," Neal said closing his eyes and sighing. "Neal remember when Momo bit the guy who was in our house well I had the blood tested that was on his fur and it wasn't determined to be Keller's so that's proof he wasn't here and you are the most fit person I ever knew to be a parent," Peter said softly as he moved over so he was laying over him and turns his head and looks into his eyes. Before he could talk he heard a loud wine and saw Momo sitting there with his bowl in his mouth.

Neal looked over and laughed "I guess I should feed him, and then we can talk about how crazy I am," Neal said as he put a hand on Peter's chest and slowly pushed him off and onto the bed. "I'll be right back wait for me right here," the ex con said as he climbed out of bed and grabbed the bowl out of Momo's mouth and left the room to feed him. Once the dish was full Neal made his way back upstairs and slid out of his shirt and tossed it on the dresser when he stopped and looked at Peter waiting for him in bed.

* * *

"Come here… I plan on making you forget everything about him," Peter said as Neal slowly crawled onto the bed his hair hanging down out of its usual brushed back style. Neal kneeled on the bed with his pants hanging lower on his hips due to the pull on them showing more skin than before as he moved on his knees closer to the other man. "I want you to make me forget all about him please," Neal requested as he moved forward and straddled Peter's lap and leaned over and kissed Peter softly and licked his bottom lip. Resuming the make out session from the back seat Neal started to lose himself. Breaking for air Neal panted "I love you…" Neal mumbled softly as he trailed a few kisses down Peter's jaw.

Peter groaned softly and took action as he flipped Neal over and pinned him down on the bed with his body. Neal whimpered softly as Peter moved his hand over Neal's ticklish ribs. "Peter… no I'm ticklish…" Neal laughed when Peter decided to tease his husband. Turning his head Neal wiggled to get free only to be pinned tighter against the bed. Giving a small laugh Peter reached over and turned the table light off and down at the younger man. "I love you too and I always will," Peter said softly and cupped Neal's cheek in his hand and pulled him into another kiss before moving down Neal's jaw to his neck and collarbone. Moaning softly Neal threw his arms around Peter's neck and grabbed his shoulders and dug his nails into his skin.

Just as Peter kissed Neal again Momo tore into the room and spun around before he started to snarl and bark alerting his masters to danger. Pulling apart to tell the dog to be quiet a loud bang resounded downstairs that sounded like a cannon going off. Moving quickly Peter grabbed his gun from the side table drawer. Pulling himself into the corner Neal stayed as hidden as possible when the bedroom door burst open. Grabbing Momo's collar Peter held the dog back and pushed him onto the bed behind him. "Neal Caffrey… you're under arrest for theft of the three stolen Monet's you took from Monsieur Rennet's mansion in Paris," A voice called as flashlight beams moved around the room quickly as the rest of the lights were turned on.

Peter blocked Neal from view and kept his gun pointed at the three men. "Where is your warrant?" he asked keeping his gun pointed at the three men that had broken in. Right away a folded set of papers landed on the bed. Lowering his gun Peter grabbed it and read it over before looking at his husband. "It's all signed…" he said as Neal moved forward and grabbed the papers and looked them over. Before he could finish reading the warrant one of the OPR agents grabbed his arm and dragged him off the bed past Peter. Neal was spun around and cuffed with a zip tie that bit into the ex con's wrists. Working quickly he slipped his wedding ring off and dropped it on the floor so that it wouldn't be stolen. Peter saw the ring hit the floor and roll under the nightstand. He made a mental note to pick it up after. "I'll call your lawyer and get you out," Peter said as he grabbed Momo's collar just as he tried leap at the men hurting Neal.

"Momo… heel," Neal commanded calming the dog down right away as he was led out of the room shirtless and barefoot. Looking at one of the agents Neal smirked "You know…I enjoy being handcuffed but this zip tie is a bit tight maybe you can loosen it for me?" Neal asked in his best flirting tone only to be ignored and tugged harder out of the room and down the stairs. Peter smirked and grabbed his phone as he followed behind Neal and slipped the phone into Neal's hands as he came up behind him. "Where are you taking him?" Peter asked keeping the other agents busy while he made sure his husband had the phone hidden in his hand. Not answering, the agents loaded Neal into the back seat and shut the car door.

* * *

Neal looked back at Peter and gave a weak smile as the car took off; keeping the phone tight in his hands Neal rubbed his right ankle against the missing spot where the anklet used to reside. Struggling against the zip tie again Neal let out a small whimper as it twisted his skin the wrong way. "Shut up back there…" one of the agents barked shutting Neal up right away. The drive seemed to take forever as they pulled up in front of the FBI building. Grabbing the ex con out of the back seat the agents dragged Neal into the building and brought him to the fifth floor offices of OPR.

Leading the younger man into the interrogation room they cut the tie and let him walk around. Spinning around Neal kept the phone hidden in his hands. "I want my phone call…. And I want my husband," Neal said keeping his back to the corner of the room. The agents looked at each other "No… I don't think you earned that right just yet," the obvious lead agent said as he sat down with his partner. "I want my call…I know my rights," Neal said as he grabbed a chair and pulled it close to him and sat down. "You'll get your call Caffrey when we say so, because of you a lot of people have to watch what they do because if anyone here lays a finger on you Burke will have our jobs but for once you won't be able to worm out of this," the younger looking agent said as he slapped a folder onto the table between the agents and Neal.

Right away Neal recognized the folder as the one he used for his report and subsequent confession to stealing the three paintings and replacing them with extremely well done forgeries. "So where are the real painting Caffrey? You got them squirreled away in some storage locker somewhere or did you sell them?"

Looking away Neal kept his mouth shut and looked toward the observation window to his right looking at his own reflection in the two way glass. Using the reflection Neal watched his fingers as he opened the phone and began to dial a text to Peter, making sure to tilt the phone so he could see the keys in the mirror he sent a short text telling Peter he was at the FBI building on the fifth floor. Sending the text he forgot that Peter's phone beeped when a text was sent. Jumping to their feet the agents wrestled the phone from Neal and left the room slamming the door behind them and locking it. "Hey… I want my call… stop wasting my time!" Neal yelled as he got up and paced the small room like a trapped animal.

Peter looked at the message on Neal's phone and rolled his eyes as he made his way into the FBI building and up to the fifth floor with Mozzie tailing slowly behind him. "You know Suit I thought you were going to protect Neal from the FBI?" Mozzie asked. Peter kept moving until he arrived in the OPR office, making their way to the interrogation rooms Peter spotted the two agents by the window. Keeping calm he walked up to the agents. "I have Neal's lawyer and we would like to talk to him…now," Peter demanded as he looked at the room beyond the double window at the other man.

Rushing to the interrogation room door Peter unlocked it and walked into the room and threw his arms around Neal when the other man stood up and walked over. "I don't want to go back to jail…"Neal whimpered. The agent rubbed his husband's back while placing the lightest kiss on his temple. "I won't let you go back to jail anywhere in this world," he whispered into his ear as Mozzie walked into the room looking sharp in a suit like a real lawyer. The OPR agents walked into the room and blocked the door. "Burke he confessed in his report to stealing the paintings. He's going to jail… and it probably won't be an American one either; so say goodbye," one of the agents remarked seeing the look on Neal's face.

"I will ask you two to not harass my client by threatening him. I need talk to him alone; turn the microphone and cameras off right now," Mozzie said while Neal kept his back to the other agents .Peter kept a protective arm around Neal's waist as they stood there until the agents left. Moving back he let Neal go and handed him the hoodie and a pair of shoes he brought with him and stepped out of the room to make sure the other agents kept the cameras and microphone off. Slipping the top on Neal zipped it up and shoved his hands into the pockets as he sat down to put his shoes on. "Moz… I can't go to jail you have to get me out of this please… Peter and I are so close to having a family," Neal said softly as he looked at the table's surface. "The only way I can think of staying out of jail is give them what they want…that means you have to give them the paintings," Mozzie said watching his friend from across the table.

Neal looked up slowly and glanced over his friend's shoulder at the window he knew Peter was standing at. "Moz I need you to get a hold of Alex and tell her it's an emergency…and that if she doesn't help I'm going to jail," Neal said as he looked at his longtime friend and partner. "Until I can locate her you might have to just play nice and let them put you in prison… you're a flight risk and the FBI knows it especially with your family overseas and your dual citizenship in Ireland," Mozzie said laying down the facts. Dropping his head in defeat Neal knows the truth and gives the slightest of nods.

Peter chewed his lip in worry, realizing that the talk was over when the OPR agents left the other agent's side and went into the interrogation room and pulled Neal to his feet and zip tied his wrists together. "Times up Caffrey we can't be here all night waiting for you to give it up. Let's get moving," they said dragging Neal out of the interrogation room and came face to face with Peter. "As soon as I can I'll come visit you," Peter said as he cupped Neal's cheek and pulled him into a kiss. Neal closed his eyes and enjoyed the kiss for as long as the agents allowed. Pulling away Neal sighed sadly and watched Peter as he was led away.

* * *

An hour later; Neal found himself in a stark white ten foot by ten foot cell wearing an orange jumpsuit and slippers. Sighing softly Neal pulled a leg up to his chest and put his head against his knee. Waiting a few minutes he stretched out on the small bed and tried to get comfortable. Not wanting to sleep Neal started to think over how OPR had gotten their hands on his report. The last he saw it Hughes had it on his desk. The only people who knew about that report were the agents who worked on the case…Peter, Jones, Diana and some new agents. Neal thought as he wished he had a pencil and a sketch book. Falling into an uneasy sleep Neal rolled onto his side and slept.

When he woke he saw one of the guards standing outside his cell, realizing it was morning Neal sat up and rubbed his face. "Wake up sleeping beauty; you have some visitors; so get a move on." The guard said pulling a pair of cuffs out. Getting off the bed quickly Neal allowed the guard to cuff him and lead him down the hall to the visitor's room. When they arrived Neal smiled when he saw Peter and Mozzie sitting at the table waiting for him. Rushing over he ignored his hands were still in cuffs and sat across the table from them making the guard come over and un-cuff him. "I forgot how much I hate prison beds…" Neal remarked with a smile his hair falling like it did when he didn't brush it back making him look even younger.

Peter smirked and reached under the table for a small bag and slid it across the table. Opening the bag Neal smiled at the small sketch pad and colored pens. "Thanks Peter…so is this a gift so I won't freak out at the bad news?" Neal asked as he started to look the pens over. "We haven't been able to find Alex yet but I've informed Hughes what has happened and he is trying to get in contact with the Interpol agents who were working with OPR to make a deal," Peter said resisting the urge to grab Neal and hold him close. Flipping the cover of the sketch pad Neal grabbed a pen and began to doodle.

"I hope you do something fast… prison food and I don't mix remember," Neal remarked glancing down at his body that he just got back to his original weight. Peter moved his hand under the table and placed it in one of Neal's. "Just don't do anything stupid okay…"Peter remarked as he gave Neal's hand a squeeze before pulling away and standing up. Mozzie hung back for a moment "The suit is right Neal just keep your head down we'll take care of everything," Mozzie said getting up and following behind Peter.

As he was led back to his cell Neal carried the bag with his pen and sketch book against his chest keeping it safe until the door was locked behind him. Putting the bag down he noticed something else and reached into the bag and pulled out a disposable cell phone. Hiding the phone under his mattress Neal grabbed his pad and started to work on his drawing to pass the time. Ignoring the guards walking by his cell Neal kept busy with his drawing until it was finished. Grabbing the other pens he began to color the drawing in. If Peter can't fix this I'm going to be locked away in a French prison. Neal thought as he felt the cell phone vibrate under the mattress. Grabbing the phone he pulled it out and read the text. Smiling at the text telling him to not even think about escaping Neal sent a quick text back telling Peter he was staying put before hiding the phone again and going back to his drawing.

Peter arrived home and found Hughes waiting for him with two surly looking men who seemed to be looking the place over. Inviting the men in he checked the gate before shoving Momo outside to give them some peace. "Peter these are agents Jenner and Jackson; they are from Interpol and they're here to transport Neal back to Paris to stand trial," Hughes said regretting having to tell his best agent the bad news. "No… their not… we're working on getting the paintings back, if Neal can get them to you by the end of the week what kind of deal can we make?" Peter asked hoping to get some leeway.

Both agents spoke to one another in French for a few minutes before looking at Peter and Hughes. "Three days, and we want the originals and not some more well done fakes… as for punishment we were thinking two years of house arrest," they said as one of them started to write out the agreement. "No deal, I will not subject Neal to that kind of punishment. How about three months," Peter offered hoping to keep his husband in the country "That seems like less of a punishment but you know him quite well; you actually did chase him for years," Jenner said looking around and spotting Peter and Neal's wedding photos. Walking over to the bookcase he grabbed the photo. "I see now… the reason for the less punishment… well as long as you keep an eye on him and keep him out of trouble you can keep him here for three months," Jenner added putting the picture back down.

Hughes looked at the visiting agents. "Just fill the paper out agreeing to the deal and we can have Neal home before dinner tonight," Hughes said. Peter walked over and blocked the door for a moment "Wait… how did OPR get that file?" Peter asked looked at his boss. "I don't know, but we'll figure it out," Hughes said as he moved Peter aside and led the agents outside. "I'll keep you informed about Neal's release," Hughes said as they left and ignored the playful dog Peter called Momo into the house and closed the front door. Moving downstairs to the den Peter sat down on the couch and turned the television on. He didn't have any trouble finding a game and Peter sat back and waited for his lover's return.

When the game finally ended Peter looked up and found Neal standing at the end of the couch smiling. "One night in prison… I could get used to that," Neal said dropping onto the couch beside Peter and hugged him. "I couldn't sleep at all last night without you," Neal said closing his eyes and curling up a bit revealing the anklet on his ankle. "Long time no see…" Peter commented with a chuckle. Neal looked down at the anklet glowing green at him. "It's only three months of house arrest; Hughes explained it to me as he drove me home. Three days to find the paintings and give them to Agents' Jenner and Jackson or else I serve a long sentence in France," Neal said moving his head under Peter's chin.

"But you don't know where Alex is how are you going to find her in three days?" Peter asked "Oh don't worry I know exactly where she is; in fact I've known since this morning when Mozzie was talking to me before you left the prison. He called her right after I was taken to prison and she's on her way here; actually she should be here in a few more hours with the paintings. It turns out they were too hot to sell still," Neal said feeling great he had played the system. Peter sat up quickly nearly knocking Neal to the floor. "So you played us didn't you?" Peter asked looking at his husband. "Oh come on… you were happy to see me home," Neal remarked as he sat up in the clothes he was released from prison in. Setting his mouth in a thin line Peter looked down at his husband. "Yeah I was… but the agent in me wants to punish you and as your husband I want to do the same but three months of house arrest is punishment enough," he said chuckling.

Neal sat up smiling "I can do three months easily… I managed this last time remember how bad can it be?" Neal asked as he patted the couch as Peter began to sit down Momo hopped up and crawled onto Neal's lap and panted. Smiling Peter sat down and put his arm around Neal and pulled him close and slipped past the dog's head and pulled Neal into a kiss and lightly pushed Momo away as he pushed Neal down against the couch and slowly unzipped the hoodie to remove it. Putting his hand against Peter's chest he pushed him back and looked up at him. "Sex on the couch…I like it a lot," the ex con remarked and yanked Peter back down and kissed him.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey everyone sorry for the long delay my work schedule changed and just recently I suffered a loss of a friend who passed unexpectedly. But please read and review it helps me to keep this wonderful story going. If you don't review something super bad will happen  
Chapter 8**

"I can't take this anymore… Peter how many more days do I have on house arrest?" Neal asked as he grabbed his coffee from the counter. Peter smiled and put his coffee down. "Just one more day and I must say that I'm very proud of you. All you just have to stay around the house for just one more day and then you're free man…again," Peter said as he played with Neal's hair that had grown a bit longer. "Go get to work, I'll do the dishes and hopefully Lisa will call today. I can't stand waiting anymore," Neal said as he pulled away and put the dishes in the sink. "I was asked to give a two week guest lecture at Quantico starting tomorrow, apparently everything we've done has gotten us some top billing around there and one of the teachers wants me to tell how it is in the real world. I'm going to leave right from the office tonight so I'll keep in contact; try to stay out of trouble please and I mean it Neal," Peter said as he went upstairs to pack. Neal started the dishes "Oh come on Peter… you can trust me!" Neal called as he worked on cleaning the dishes.

Peter laughed as he finished packing and brought his suitcase downstairs. "Yeah… I can trust you to get into some kind of trouble, at least try not to make the front page paper across the country okay," Peter remarked laughing as he came downstairs to find Neal pouting. "If you're good I'll bring you back an FBI playbook on how we plan on catching criminals… and I'll steal you a Rembrandt from the museum," Peter said making Neal smile. "I want a Degas instead and you to be safe," Neal said taking the bag from Peter and dropping it on the floor before pulling him into a kiss "Go…I'll see you when you get back also bring the bill for the replacement door…the agents still won't pay for the door they kicked in," Neal said handing the envelope over to Peter from the shelf.

Once Peter left; Neal sighed and made his way upstairs to his art studio and looked around as he packed up his art supplies and brought them downstairs to the den, setting up his easel he went back upstairs and continued to clean the extra bedroom out. When the room was cleaned out Neal swept and put newspaper down so he could paint the walls. As he was heading to the kitchen the phone began to ring; and Neal quickly picked it up as he walked over to the kitchen table and sat down. "Oh hey Lisa, really you found some potentials… um, I can't do any visits yet and Peter is going away for two weeks but could you maybe bring some photos over so I can help narrow it down?" Neal asked wanting to get closer to finding a child.

"I can be by in an hour with some pictures," Lisa said with a smile in her voice. "I'll see you soon," Neal said before hanging up. Doing the dishes and drying them Neal organized and cleaned to keep himself busy as he waited. When the doorbell rang the ex con flew to the door and opened it. "Hey Neal, are you still on house arrest? Mozzie said it would be over pretty soon, so I brought a wide selection of photos of children ranging in age from a year to ten years old. Just how old of a child were you and Peter looking for?" Lisa asked as she walked inside and sat at the kitchen table and pulled out a large folder of pictures. "Well not too young but not too old either, we were thinking about a boy at first, also… I know I would like a son that loves art and of course Peter wants to be able to teach him about sports," Neal said with a smile.

Pulling out a few pictures Lisa pushed them across the table for Neal to look at. Scanning the pictures Neal stopped at one "what's this one's story?" Neal asked handing the photo back to Lisa. "Oh that's Ethan, he's a sweet boy he's three and a half years old, and he was removed from his mother's home three months ago. She used to leave Ethan home alone when she would go score drugs or alcohol and because of the long hours he was left alone he has severe separation anxiety and a lot of fears of being abandoned. I'll be honest with you Neal, Ethan is a high risk case because of his attachment issues a lot of people don't want to deal with it because he would have to be placed a lot sooner than any other child," Lisa said placing a hand on the photo.

Taking a deep breath Neal nodded "I want to meet him tomorrow after this anklet comes off, and Peter would agree with me that we wouldn't mind him coming to live with us," Neal said smiling softly. Lisa smiled "I think you and Peter would be wonderful parents and I will set up a meeting tomorrow after lunch, I'll be there as well and usually the first meeting is only a few minutes long but I think you two should get to know each other as well as you can," Lisa said.

Neal took the photo back and looked at Ethan and smiled at the little boy's face. "I know it might be premature but I want to adopt him…" Neal said softly. Lisa gathered the other photos and put them back in the folder. "I will talk to you tomorrow then and I hope you two get along," Lisa said as she shook Neal's hand and let him lead her to the door. "I'll pick you up tomorrow morning," Lisa said with a smile as she left. Smiling softly Neal sighed and looked around the semi empty home to find something to do. Giving up after a few minutes Neal went downstairs and began to paint to calm his nerves. Halfway through the first part of the painting Neal realized that he would most likely be a father soon. I can't believe it… after everything that I've done and everything that has happened to me I'm going to be a father. Neal thought as he put his brush down for a minute to look at the painting to see what he wanted to do next with his painting. Lost in his thoughts of his painting it took Neal a moment to realize the phone was ringing.

Running upstairs Neal grabbed the phone as soon as he recognized the number "Hey mom…how's everything?" Neal asked taking a seat at the kitchen table. "Uh huh… how bad was the accident? I'm just glad Shawn and the boys are alright but how does a farm tractor not see a jeep on that road there is nothing to block the view?" Neal asked wishing he was in Ireland still. "Oh I have some news that will make everyone feel a bit better I'm going to meet a boy tomorrow from the adoption agency he has some abandonment issues but he's so sweet looking. I will call you after I meet him I hope he and I get along, and that we can adopt him in the end," Neal said looking at Momo who was nuzzling his leg for attention. "Well give my love to the others and as soon as we can we'll come for a nice long visit at Christmas, Peter will get time off from work and we'll come over as a family this time," Neal promised with a smile hoping that they would have a son by then.

* * *

By ten-thirty Neal was bored, knowing he had just one more day to his sentence was getting to him. Heading downstairs to look for a movie Neal stretched out on the couch and let Momo lay on the floor next to him. Grabbing the remote Neal scrolled the guide and sighed when none of the movies interested him. Looking at the other channels he selected the crime channel and found a documentary on modern crimes. "I'm not studying at all Momo I'm just seeing how the world of crime is without me," Neal said reaching down to pet his dog. Looking at his anklet for a moment he sighed and scanned for another show when the program ended. After a minute he found a marathon of old Star Trek episodes. Settling in Neal fell asleep after the first four minutes.

At lunch time Peter decided to come home after he received a call from Mozzie about the meeting the next day Neal was having. Meeting Momo at the door he let the dog out into the yard and made his way downstairs and found Neal asleep on the couch leaning over the arm Peter kissed his husband and smirked when pulled him closer until they broke for air. "What do I owe the pleasure sexy?" Neal asked sitting up and making room on the couch. "I came by just to see how you were doing and I knew how bored you would be so I brought you take out for lunch and my company for the hour," Peter said pulling Neal to his feet and pulled him upstairs to a set up lunch for two.

"Peter you are a hidden romantic and you know what I love that so much," Neal remarked as he sat at the table. Sitting across from Neal, Peter smirked. "I missed you so I just wanted to spend some time with you before I went to D.C. and because of that I got you something to keep you busy while I'm gone," Peter said as he pulled a small box out from under his seat and slid it across the table. Neal pulled the box open and looked at the contents and smiled at the book in the box. "Detailed Crimes of the Twentieth Century… rumor has it I have my own chapter and it's a big one," Neal said with a smirks. "Page forty-five to page two hundred, and look at the first page before the title page," the agent remarked with a smile. Flipping open the cover Neal smiled "To Neal…your story was the most fun I had writing don't ever stop no matter what the law says~ Richard Colen. Peter you got this autographed for me, if I weren't married to you I would marry you again because you are the best husband ever," Neal remarked as he got up from his seat and went around the table and hugged Peter and kissed him repeatedly.

Pulling away for air Neal pulled away and sat back down and started to eat. "My favorite take-out and a book with a story about me along with a writer who likes me; This has got to be the best day and tomorrow I get this anklet off and I get to meet this little boy named Ethan who is just adorable, if we're lucky then when you come home from D.C. then he might have already moved in with us," Neal said bursting with excitement. "Do you want me to stay home and go with you?" Peter asked worry about Neal getting his hopes up. "No, go to D.C. and make some money even though we really don't need it…I've got enough money to keep us set for life… there is enough Nazi treasure that Mozzie and I have hidden still… Keller only got a third of it," Neal said looking at his food.

Peter bit his lip "I know this is a stupid question but where are the other two-thirds of the treasure?" Peter asked wondering if he really wanted to know the answer or not. "Don't worry; Mozzie has it hidden where no one would find it… I promise to never sell any of it unless we really need the money but I doubt we ever will, but to change the subject my mother called; Shawn and the boys were in a car accident yesterday. Don't worry they're fine. A farm tractor hit the car and smashed up the front end but nothing more serious than that and the insurance is paying for a brand new car so Shawn is car shopping right now. I can only imagine what he will get and by the way we've also been invited to Ireland for Christmas. To be honest I sort of invited us; my mother was thrilled that we would come together this time, and apparently they added onto the house so they have more space with the boys wanting their own rooms and so there is a whole wing attached for them and a guest wing above that so we get our own room and bathroom apparent to their relief," Neal said picking at his food some more with a smile at what his mother was implying.

When lunch was over Neal pouted as Peter made his way to the door to leave. "I'll see you when you get back; please be careful and don't fall for those flirty cons in D.C they're sharks," Neal said with a smile as he kissed Peter good-bye. As soon as he was once again alone Neal grabbed his new book and made his way upstairs to read for a while. Opening the book and looking at the signature once more Neal smiled before opening to the first chapter to read and take mental notes. Halfway through the book Momo jumped on the bed and curled up next to him chewing on something. Neal looked up and noticed that Momo had another wallet. "Where do you keep getting these, and how does Peter not notice you doing it on the walks," the con mumbled taking the wallet from his dog and tossing it into the box in the corner of the room that he kept the multiple wallets that Momo seemed to collect every time he was taken for a walk.

"I guess I have a lot to mail them back soon buddy and you have got to stop this or at least learn some restraint," Neal said taking the dog's head in his hands and leaning in only to get a wet tongue to the face making him laugh. "I love you too Momo but you have to behave or Peter might not be as friendly to you," he remarked as he sat on the bed and got back to his book. By dinner Neal dug into some leftovers from lunch and fed Momo for the night. Grabbing a glass and a bottle of wine Neal made his way upstairs with his book and curled up on his bed after he poured himself a glass of wine. Reaching his own story finally Neal smirked at the detail of his bank bonds crime and his trial. Sipping his wine Neal yawned and decided to call it a night so he could get out of his anklet sooner. Changing and getting ready for bed Neal made sure Momo went out for the night before he locked the front door and went upstairs and readied for before climbing into bed and allowing Momo to join in bed with him Neal turned the light off and cuddled next to Momo.

* * *

As the sun broke over the rooftops Neal woke and fed Momo before getting dressed to await the marshals. The marshals timed their arrival just as Lisa drove up. With a quick deactivation Neal was a free man again. "I see you're ready to go," she said with a smile as she left the house with Neal. Neal felt nervous as they drove to the group home of Nassau County that was being used by the adoption agency. Walking up to the gate Lisa led Neal up the path to the front door and knocked on the front door. After a moment another young woman came to the front door. "Ms. Collins so good to see you again and you must be Mr. Caffrey, I'm going to bring the kids outside to play so you can spend some time with Ethan alone in the playroom," the woman said as she led them through the large house to the back room.

Neal froze at the doorway for a moment until Lisa nudged him into the room so he could meet Ethan. Walking to the small art table Neal stopped and crouched down to Ethan's level before sitting on the floor and watched Ethan look up. "Hi…Ethan, I'm Neal," Neal said trying to find his voice. Ethan looked up from his drawing and watched Neal with the greenest eyes Neal ever saw. "Hi…" he said before going back to his drawing. Neal knew that he was up a river without a paddle so he decided to do what he did best. "I like to draw too can I join you?" he asked looking at the paper and drawing supplies. With a nodded response Neal took a sheet of white paper and a pen and began to draw. After a few minutes of making humming of approval of his drawing Neal saw Ethan getting curious out of the corner of his eye. Putting his pen down Neal looked over and smiled at Ethan "Want to see?" he asked getting another nod in response. "I drew a picture of my dog Michelangelo, but I call him Momo for short," Neal said showing Ethan the extremely detailed drawing of Momo down to each individual hair on his body.

"I like doggies," Ethan said taking the picture from Neal and smiling. Looking at Ethan's work Neal looked at it before asking to pick it up and looked at it closely. "I'll trade you… you can keep the picture of Momo if I can have this," Neal said with a smile. "'kay…" he said before starting on a new piece of paper. Getting up from the floor Neal dusted himself off, before he could take a step he felt two small arms wrap around his right leg. Stopping he looked down and saw Ethan starting to tear up. "I'm not leaving I'm just going to talk to Lisa for a moment; I won't go any farther than the doorway I promise," Neal said as he managed to get Ethan to let go and move back to the table.

Walking to the doorway Neal stopped and looked at Lisa who had taken to sitting in the large armchair. "I've never seen Ethan take to anyone that quickly before, you got into his comfort zone and pulled him out of his shell a bit, Neal. I don't want to jump the gun too much but I think you and Ethan are a perfect match and that means Peter too. I think with Ethan's attachment to you already and the way you've gotten him to open up so quickly I'm going to recommend immediate placement with you to the Albany office, I'll make the calls now and hopefully this can be over in a few hours or days at the most," Lisa said getting up from the chair and leaving the room to make the calls. "Thanks Lisa, I'm gonna talk to Ethan some more," Neal said as she closed the door behind her, walking back to the table Neal sat down again and smiled as he watched Ethan working on a new drawing.

Smiling and watching Ethan Neal just wanted to take him home and nurture his gifts in art. Seeing the new art Ethan was working on Neal looked up when the door opened and the young woman who worked at the home came in. "Okay Ethan… it's nap time," the young woman said as she moved closer to pick Ethan up but before she could grab him Ethan clambered into Neal's lap and wrapped his arms around Neal's neck before burying his face in the ex con's shoulder. Neal looked down and put a hand on Ethan's back and rubbed it softly. "Would you mind if I put him down for a nap?" he asked the young girl who introduced herself as Monica.

"Of course, I've got three others to put down for a nap which can be more than a handful; his room is upstairs. It's the second door on the left. He doesn't get to sleep well so you might be there for a while," Monica said as she left the room followed by a couple other small kids. Heading upstairs Neal went into Ethan's room and pulled the covers back on the bed before putting him down. "Okay how about a bed time story?" he asked tucking Ethan in under the blankets. "Nothing scary…" Ethan said getting comfortable. Getting ready Neal got comfortable on the edge of the twin size bed.

Thinking for a moment Neal smiled and came up with a story to tell. "There once was evil king who tricked everyone in his kingdom to believe he was a good man but he wasn't, he stole their money and lied to them. He also had a beautiful princess in his castle who was also entranced by his charm. One day a young man came to the kingdom looking to make a name for himself with the people of the kingdom, with no money to his name he met a wonder scholar named -" Neal noticed that Ethan had finally fallen asleep. Smiling Neal got up slowly and made his way downstairs to meet Monica and Lisa in the kitchen. "Neal you are amazing; I just heard back from my superiors in Albany and they want to place Ethan with you as soon as you're ready to take him home," Lisa said smiling. "I can take him home today, but I don't have a room ready yet. I want to make it with him. However with Peter out of town I have space on the bed that will do until I can go shopping," Neal said determined to bring Ethan home.

* * *

When nap time was over Neal looked up from the coffee he was drinking when Ethan ran into the kitchen and latched onto his leg. Putting the mug down Neal helped Ethan up onto his lap and let him hug him. Lisa rose from the table and walked over and smiled at the little boy. "Ethan… how would you like to go home with Neal today?" she asked with a smile. Ethan began to nod so quickly Neal was sure he was going to get dizzy soon. "Okay then why don't we get your things packed and we can get going," Lisa said as she walked upstairs with Neal carrying the little boy. Opening the bedroom door Neal put Ethan down and watched him run around the room grabbing his things and tossing them on the bed.

Grabbing the bag that was handed to him Neal helped pack all of Ethan's things into the large duffle bag on the bed. Taking the clothes that Monica handed him Neal closed the bag after everything had been packed. He let Monica take the bag from him so he could pick Ethan up and carry him to the car. "So what is your favorite food?" Neal asked with a smile. "I don't have a favorite," Ethan said his arms still around Neal's neck. Neal smiled as he covered Ethan's head as he climbed into the back seat and buckled them both in as Lisa drove them to Peter and Neal's Cobble Hill home. Going inside with Lisa and Ethan Neal let Momo outside and shut the door before letting Ethan down to look around. Taking the duffle bag from the floor Neal led Ethan upstairs and brought the bag to the master bedroom.

"We'll have your room ready in a couple days but until then you'll be staying with me in here. We should have your room ready before Peter gets home from D.C.," Neal said as he put the bag down on the floor. Grabbing his laptop off the dresser Neal helped Ethan onto the bed and turned it on so they could do some online shopping. As they began shopping a web camera chat request popped up. Opening the window Neal smiled when he saw Peter. "Hey Peter… I was hoping to hear from you. I'd like you to meet Ethan, Ethan this is Peter…say hi," Neal said as the little boy waved.

Peter smiled and returned the wave warily and looked at his husband. "I see the visit went well enough that you brought him home," Peter said keeping his voice level. Neal pulled Ethan a bit closer and gave a million watt smile. "Lisa said that we bonded so well that torturing Ethan by intensifying his anxiety would be terrible so we were granted immediate placement. I can't wait for you to meet him in person Peter," Neal said smiling ignoring the feeling he got from Peter. Smiling the little boy laughed. "I like daddy a lot….he likes to draw just like me but he's better," Ethan said not seeing the look flash on Peter's face.

Neal smiled and gave Ethan a hug and ruffled his hair back. "Well we should let you get back to work Peter we have to finish our ordering and once that's done we're going to watch a movie," Neal said getting a cheer from Ethan. Peter nodded "We'll talk later Neal, just so you know the first day went well. I got a lot of questions about you," Peter said with a chuckle. Neal smiled "I hope you did me justice in your talks, well I'll let you go then Peter, I can't wait to show Ethan off tomorrow after we go to the store and get a car seat and some toys and art supplies," Neal said laughing at the annoyed face Peter made before he agreed and signed off.

After shopping some more for furniture Neal closed the laptop when they were done and looked at Ethan and just hugged him again. "You are just so much fun to hug, but before we watch any movies we need to run into the city for a few minutes and pick you up a car seat and a couple other things like cool bed sheets and I get to spoil you rotten with toys also by taking you to the most famous store ever," Neal said bursting at the fact he was a father now.

* * *

After all of the needed shopping was done Neal drove to the closest and secure parking garage he knew and paid before parking. Getting out of the car Neal carried Ethan down the sidewalk and into the toy store arriving at a decent time so the crowds were small. Neal smiled as Ethan as his face lit up at the sight of all the toys and games. Going up to the stuffed animal loft Ethan looked around until he found one that caught his eye, a medium sized seahorse. Making a grab for it Neal helped and handed it to Ethan. "Why do you want a seahorse?" Neal asked truly curious. "Sea horse daddies take care of the babies," Ethan said hugging the sandy colored stuffed animal as Neal held him. They then headed to the arts and crafts section where Neal looked at all the easels and paint supplies.

"Why don't you pick out an art table you like and as many art supplies as you want," Neal said as he put Ethan down and waved a store worker over. "I would like to talk to your store manager about delivering everything I purchase today to my home by end of business today," Neal said giving a wide smile putting off an air of a millionaire hiding in plain sight of wearing jeans and a tee shirt. After a few minutes a manger walked over and smiled at Neal and Ethan. "Hello we want this art table, one of every art supply, one of all those magnetic toy kits of every size you have in that display, at least a pound of construction paper, and regular paper as well along with anything else we find in the store that my son likes and I would like it all delivered to my home and if you get it to my house by five today I'll donate a hefty sum to your charity downstairs," Neal said whipping out a check book that he had in his name connected to an overseas hidden account. Writing out a check for fifty thousand dollars he handed it over and saw the manager look at him in shock and agree to a delivery before five.

Walking around the store with one of the employees taking down everything Neal said they wanted Neal ordered a few outdoor games that would fit in their patio and some memory block games, a few dozen story books, bath toys and anything Ethan really wanted along with some new clothes and pajamas and socks. By the time the shopping trip was over Neal found that most of the stuff he bought that day interested him as well. After paying for everything and getting a confirmation number for the delivery he picked Ethan up who was still hugging his new stuffed seahorse and grabbed the massive receipt and headed back to the car. By the time they reached the car Ethan was already asleep, Putting Ethan in the back seat he was glad he rush ordered the car seat for the next business day and got into the car and headed home.

After arriving home Neal picked Ethan up once again and carried him to the front door. Upon opening the door he found Mozzie, June and Elizabeth waiting for him. "I was expecting you to show up at some point," Neal said to his extended family as he introduced his son. "Ethan this is your Uncle Mozzie, Aunt Elizabeth and Aunt June they're some of my best friends…and family," Neal explained seeing Ethan get a little nervous. "We heard from a very reliable source about the new addition to your family so we thought we could be of some help and we got some things to help you out," June said pointing to a couple piles of things ranging from training pants, some small books and a small stack of gift cards and other items. Elizabeth smiled. "Diana spilled the beans at the office and everyone went out and got you gift cards to buy whatever you needed for Ethan, most of them are generic cards to spend as you wish, June got you the small supply of training pants while Mozzie got you the books and I got you this," Elizabeth said handing an empty photo album over.

"You guys are amazing and now I don't have to run out for anything, we just came back from the toy store and if you guys hang around for a while you can see everything we got," Neal said as he crouched down and put Ethan down before giving him another hug and letting Momo come over to officially meet Ethan. "We need to get some dinner, if you guys don't mind waiting I'll get started," Neal said looking up at his second family. "Oh no you don't, we'll make dinner for you two, and you know from now on you won't be eating anything super fancy anymore so get used to chicken fingers and macaroni and cheese," June said with a smile from years of knowledge. "I know Peter won't be happy with everything I bought but we need it. However I think we have to start looking for a larger place, but I do want to stay in the area," Neal said opening the fridge and finding it completely reorganized with the beer and wine on the top shelf and new kid friendly drinks near the bottom.

June smiled "Well I will keep an eye open for you with the real estate available for you. I have a friend who does real estate in this area and she might know of something with enough size for a growing family of three, by the way… Ethan is just adorable and if you ever need a baby sitter please don't hesitate to call me I can watch him for as long as you need if you and Peter want to slip away for a romantic weekend," June said with a smile that made Neal want to blush a bit "With his separation anxiety I don't want to overload him just yet but if you could come over a few times so he gets to know you before I start leaving the house to do any shopping that would be great, and Moz if you could just try to reign in the conspiracy theories; Ethan has enough fears as it is," Neal said before heading back downstairs and handing Ethan the juice box before taking a seat and opening the beer that he grabbed for himself before getting comfortable as he watched the movie.

Halfway through the movie June called them up for dinner and with news that the truck had arrived. Moving the kitchen table out of the way the men unloaded the truck in the open space. Signing for the delivery Neal looked at the large pile of boxes and sighed when he felt the other three staring at him. "I know what you're going to say, but it just looks like a lot…" Neal said as he tried to defend his actions.

* * *

After a quick dinner Neal set up another movie for Ethan while he helped the others unpack the boxes going over the inventory to compare it to the receipt as he made sure everything was there. As soon as everything was accounted for Neal looked and tried to think of where to put everything since the dresser he ordered wouldn't be there for a couple days and the room hadn't been painted yet. In the confined kitchen slash living room area Neal was overwhelmed by just how much he ordered. "Well the clothes can go in my room and the toys in the closet downstairs that's empty at least until we can get the room finished, Peter is going to kill me when he sees this receipt," Neal said mumbling the end as he folded the long receipt up and put it aside.

"What am I going to kill you for?" Peter asked walking in to the house shocking Neal to the point of being speechless. "The lecture was cut short, Hughes needs me for a case up here that we're working on with D.C. art crimes and possibly the ATF," Peter said eyeing the large pile of toys and clothes in the front room. Neal looked up and found his second family had already slipped out of the house leaving him to fend for himself. "Before you get all upset I have someone you should meet first," he said getting up and retrieving Ethan from downstairs and holding him as he walked slowly over to Peter. "Peter…this is Ethan, and Ethan this is Peter… he's your other father," Neal said hoping to dampen any anger Peter had about the money he spent. Smiling Ethan waved a little at Peter before looking up at Neal. "Can I play with some of my new toys?" He asked smiling. Nodding Neal put Ethan down next to the pile and let him look everything over. Peter watched and noticed the other pile and caught Neal's eye. "Oh gifts from June and Elizabeth; the gift cards are from everyone at the office so we can go crazy getting anything we need for Ethan. Oh and the dresser and bed should be here tomorrow so tonight we're going to have to juggle some sleeping arrangements," Neal remarked trying to figure out some things. Peter sighed and dropped onto the loveseat and let Neal curl up next to him.

"We're going to need a bigger place Peter…with a kid and a dog there isn't enough room in this place for everything," Neal said as he put his head on Peter's shoulder "Neal we've only been here less than a year; we can't just move around it will be more trouble to do the paperwork and to change addresses. You have to learn that you can't just hop from house to house like you used to. You have to learn not to be so impulsive," Peter said keeping an arm around Neal. "I know, but if we get a place that has a bigger yard you can teach Ethan all about sports," Neal said trying to get the other man to change his mind only to be met by a stoic face. "Oh fine… come on Ethan let's find your bath toys and something to wear to bed tonight," Neal said getting up to look for the bath toys before realizing a problem. "We have no kid shampoo I have to run to the store for a few minutes," Neal said right away he felt Ethan clinging to his leg.

Prying Ethan off, Neal crouched down and smiled. "I won't be gone long and Peter will watch over you, you have to get to know him and I promise he's really good guy that's why I married him," Neal said with a smile looking up at the other man. "The store is right down the street I'll be right back," Neal said giving Ethan a hug before headed out. Peter sat there for a moment and looked at the little boy looking at him. Unsure of what to do Peter gave a small smile. "So what do you want to do while we wait for Neal?" he asked hoping to get along with Ethan. Moving from the loveseat he sat on the floor and looked at the toys. "Did you have fun today at the toy store?" Peter asked trying to get closer.

"Yeah…I got a stuffed seahorse," Ethan said picking up his seahorse and showing it to Peter as he looked toward the front door waiting for Neal to come back. "You know I would like to get to know you better Ethan, so what's its name?" Peter asked trying to get closer to the boy, "Doesn't have one yet," Ethan said as he hugged the plush marine animal close and watched for Neal to return. "I'm nice too you know," Peter said worried that he wouldn't be able to be a good parent to Ethan. Coming back in time Neal saw Ethan sitting by his toys. "Come on buddy it's bath time," Neal said grabbing the bath toys from the pile and took Ethan's hand and together they walked up to the bathroom. Neal quickly got the tub ready and started to fill the tub with warm water and bubbles. After getting Ethan into the tub Neal grabbed the shampoo and toys and put the toys in the tub.

* * *

After looking at the pile of toys for a few minutes Peter moved them downstairs to the empty closet but left the training pants and gift cards out. When he was done he made his way upstairs and found Neal laughing at the bubbles Ethan put on his hair. When the bath was over Neal dressed Ethan in a pair of training pants and his pajamas. "Ok mister…let's pick a story and we'll read before bed okay," he said as he finished drying Ethan's hair and carried him back downstairs. Grabbing the pile of books he went back upstairs Neal watched Ethan brush his teeth before bringing him into the now cramped master bedroom and sat him on the bed. Climbing onto the bed Neal let Ethan pick a book and he began to read as Peter came in and crawled onto the bed behind him propping him up as he read to Ethan.

Starting the book Neal felt Peter hold him close as he read. Halfway through the book Neal felt his own eyes slowly starting to get heavy as he watched Ethan drift off. It didn't take long before both were fully asleep. Peter then picked the book up before tucked them in under the blankets. Peter then called Momo over to the bed and let him up on the bed at Neal's feet while he went downstairs to make sure the house was locked up tight so no one could get in; he placed the book on the dresser before leaving the room. When the house was secured Peter made his way upstairs and climbed into bed with his family and drifted off to sleep.

During the night Neal woke to the sound of Ethan talking and after glancing at the clock he blinked to focus his eyes and found it was well after midnight. Slipping out of bed like a cat he left Peter and Momo behind as he made his way downstairs and found Ethan sitting on the floor with a cup of juice beside him. "Ethan…how did you get the juice?" Neal asked looking around the room that was faintly lit by the light under the hood of the stove. Smiling at Neal he held his seahorse close. "Mattie," he replied as he got up and walked over to Neal and held his arms up to be picked up. Picking the little boy up Neal felt nervous he grabbed the juice off the floor so Momo wouldn't knock it over and put it in the fridge. "Alright brush your teeth again and let's go back to bed…"Neal said checking the doors and making double sure they were locked before watching Ethan brush his teeth before they returned to bed.

Holding Ethan close Neal laid in bed unable to fall back to sleep shaken by the fact that Ethan was talking to someone. Thinking back to when he was seeing Keller everywhere Neal tucked Ethan back in beside him. Trying to force himself to sleep he found that sleep was illusive but eventually he drifted off to an uneasy sleep. At the first sign of morning Peter opened his eyes when he felt a weight on his chest and saw Ethan sitting on his chest. "I want chocolate pancakes…" Ethan said with a smile. Looking at the clock Peter dropped his head back on the pillow. "It's too early kiddo wake me up in five minutes," he mumbled dropping back onto the bed. Pouting Ethan let his bottom lip tremble before he started crying which woke Neal.

He then looked at Ethan and Peter with a haggard look before he pushed Peter out of bed. "Breakfast…"he said before dropping back to his pillow and burying himself under the blankets to hide from the light. Jolting awake from his sleep Neal looked at Ethan and Peter with a haggard look before he managed to push Peter out of bed. "Breakfast…" he said before dropping back to his pillow and burying himself under the blankets to hide from the light. Reaching over for the blankets Peter stopped as soon as his hands wrapped around the comforter. "You move that blanket and you will be making friends with the couch for a month," Neal warned as he cocooned himself up to get more sleep. Resigned that he had a child to care for Peter picked Ethan Peter sighed and picked Ethan up and carried him down stairs and put him down on one of the chairs. "We don't have any pancake mix how about French toast instead?" Peter asked trying to make amends with his son. "Okay…" Ethan remarked kicking his feet back and forth a bit.

Making a quick breakfast Peter tried to think of something to talk about with Ethan but he was unsure what a three year old would want to talk about. Looking back from the stove Peter saw that Ethan was missing and he hurried to find him. He heard voices from upstairs and froze when he heard Neal talking. "Peter doesn't hate you; he just doesn't know you as well as I do. He does care about you," Neal said comforting the small boy in his arms. "I got an idea, why don't we go to the aquarium today, all three of us. I'll call into work and tell them Peter can't make it today and we'll go as a family," Neal said giving Ethan another hug to make him smile. Grabbing the phone Neal called the office and told them the truth about Peter not coming in to be with his family and hung up before Hughes could yell at him.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

After quickly getting dressed Peter joined Neal and Ethan and piled into the car for their visit to the aquarium. Once they arrived they went inside and got a three pack of all day tickets and wrist bands to every exhibit. Neal took a few extra minutes at the counter and came back smiling to where he left Peter and Ethan carrying two silver cards which he handed one to Peter. "We're platinum members I just donated some money and now we're one of the top contributors here which means we'll be given first views of new exhibits before the rest of the public," Neal said before lifting Ethan up and walking toward the hall of tanks and exhibits. The small family made their way down the conservation hall while Neal smiled at the fish before stopping at the first tank to point the fish as they swam around to Ethan. Peter smiled as he saw Ethan's face light up at the fish swimming around.

As they went down the long tunnel that went through the exhibit Ethan was amazed at the sight of the large rays as they swam by. Stopping for a rest on the long bench to watch as the fish went about their day Neal jumped up before saying, "I'll be right back I'm going to grab a map from the front desk." Neal hoped the time he was gone would help Peter and Ethan's relationship. After helping Ethan onto the floor so he could walks around Peter watched his son enjoying the magic of the ocean life. Walking around in a circle Ethan watched the school of yellow fish until Neal returned with a map. "Okay next stop is the conservation hall then explore the shore," Neal said taking Ethan's hand and Peter's before walking down the tunnel to the hall filled with tanks.

Peter smiled and saw how happy his family was now gave him courage to pick Ethan up and asked him which animals were his favorites as they walked through the hall. Peter and Ethan laughed when they arrived at the eel tank and one of the eels looked at them causing Neal looked quickly away. It was while they were at the piranha tank that they noticed that Ethan was yawning and not wanting to watch the fish as they fed that Neal decided a trip to the café for a break was in order. Leaving the building they walked across the park to the café and found a small booth to sit in while Neal held Ethan as he napped in his arms. Getting a couple coffees Peter watched Neal holding Ethan close and making him comfortable against his shoulder. "Peter this a really great day so far; aren't you glad that I called a vacation day of you at work?" he said quietly as he shifted the napping child.

"We'll talk about that later, but you're right it is a good idea to spend time as a family. Ethan and I have to get to know each other more and being here as a family will really help us," Peter said sipping his coffee. "Peter… I really think we need a bigger place with a child we need to have the extra space. You know it wouldn't hurt to look for a new place in the neighborhood," Neal said hoping to convince his husband. "We can look…together this weekend as a family," Peter replied reaching across the small table and putting his hand on Neal's as he helped him up from the booth and walked with him toward the conservation hall. On the way to the other building Ethan slowly woke up and yawned. "Hey sleepy head… where would you like to go now?" Neal asked as he stayed close to Peter as they walked.

Pointing to the closest building they veered over to the building and went inside Pointing to the closest building they veered over to the building and went inside. "It's the shark house… are you sure?" Neal asked as his voice wavered a bit. "Neal, are you afraid of sharks?" Peter asked as they got into the shark building lobby and moved to the side so others could keep walking by "I'm not scared I just don't particularly like them is all," he defended as he felt an arm move around his waist and pulled him down the dark hall that led to the giant room that seemed to melt into the large tank that was filled with fish and sharks. Neal felt his stomach twist after seeing the large sharks gliding though the water as he moved closer to the glass. They watched enthralled as the fish scurry around while the sharks swam around. It was during feeding time when raw meat was dropped into the water in front of the window that Neal and the children got a fright as the sharks swam right at them.

Unable to keep from laughing Peter pulled Neal in the darkness and held him close while Ethan squirmed to get down so he could get to the glass. Peter put his son down and watched along with Neal as Ethan joined the rest of the children to watch the turtles swim toward the strips of lettuce and eat. Neal felt better to watch from a distance but he still kept glancing over his shoulder as the sharks passed by. "We'll go soon, sit here where it is safe while I'll go to keep an eye on Ethan," Peter said as he got up and moved closer to the glass wall where he picked Ethan up and pointed fish out. It was while Peter and Ethan were bonding that Neal taped a few shots of his family before forwarding them to his mother and the entire white collar unit as well as to Hughes and his mother-in-law and sister-in- law.

After the sharks became boring Neal and Ethan decided to head to the gift shop and look around, Peter couldn't help but tease Neal with a stuffed shark. Ethan was entranced by the books on sea creatures and tried to lift a whole stack before Peter helped him. "Only one book and one toy," he said putting his foot down and putting the stack down so Ethan could go through them. Neal helped Ethan pick out a book on marine life and against his wishes a large stuffed shark. After paying for the items Peter held the full shopping bag while Neal carried Ethan as they walked through the park to the exit. Upon arriving at the car Neal put Ethan in his car seat and gave him his stuffed shark and book before getting in the passenger seat. On the ride home Peter talked business with Neal about work getting and getting his input on the case. "Peter… there is no way someone can steal a quarter of a million dollars' worth of jewelry and not be spotted by a camera especially when there is one inside the safe; he had have had a partner who hacked the signal because there is no way one man could do all that in twenty minutes," Neal remarked. Agreeing with a nod Peter parked in front of their house just as the delivery truck arrived. Peter signed for everything after getting out of the car and led the men inside while he held Momo back. He then pointed out where the child size furniture was to go.

Neal walked inside with Ethan and up to his room and looked around he smiled at the way the furniture looked but he knew that the room was too small for all the things Ethan had, he also knew Peter would see that. "Let's get this room set up for now at least," Peter said as he undid the plastic wrap from the edges of the furniture and began to set the room up. Neal walked into the master bedroom with Ethan before dropping on their bed to rest. Momo jumped on the bed and began to lick them both causing them both to laugh before Neal pushed the loveable dog away. Laughing Ethan latched onto Neal as they both got ready to rest.

When Peter was done putting the room together he walked into his room and found his family relaxing. "Your room is ready, why don't you two put all of Ethan's clothes and some of the toys away? Ethan you get to sleep in your own room tonight; how does that sound?" Peter asked hoping to have some privacy that night. "No… I want to stay with you," he said clinging to Neal a little tighter. "Peter's right… you have to get used to your own room," Neal said as he sat up and Ethan to his new room. Neal quickly sprang into action and filled the dresser with Ethan's clothes before he went down stairs and grabbed some of the toys and put them in the room to make more space in the TV room.

Peter sat with Ethan until Neal was done, and after looking at the room Peter smiled. "Why don't you play with some of your toys for a while, we're going to be downstairs," Neal said hoping to get a little time with Peter. As soon as the words were out of his mouth he felt Ethan latch onto his leg. "We're just going downstairs to plan dinner buddy we're not leaving the house," Peter said crouching down and prying Ethan off of Neal's leg and putting him by his toys. Pulling Neal out of the room Peter led him downstairs and grabbed a bottle of wine Peter poured his husband a drink before grabbing a beer for himself. "He can't spend every moment with us he has to get used to some alone time Neal, it's not like we're going very far and he has to sleep in his own room tonight. I know you're going to argue he's only been here one night but the longer he sleeps in bed with us the hard it will be to get him into his own bed and not to mention we would be having even less sex at night," Peter remarked seeing Neal look up at his remark and nodding in agreement.

Once dinner was made and eaten Neal offered to do the dishes while Peter spent some time with Ethan as he drew using his new art supplies. After pouring himself another glass of wine Neal made his way to the basement to paint. "Should I be worried that is going to be a forgery?" Peter asked as he came up behind Neal and put his arms around Neal's waist. "I don't know yet… depends on what I can get in exchange for making it an original," he said with a smirk. "How about a romantic evening just the two of us," Peter said pulling Neal away from the easel to sit with him on the couch as he held him closely before kissing him. Breaking away Neal sighed softly and looked up at his husband. "I'll take that offer in return; it will be an original painting. We will also accept your sister's invite to Thanksgiving this year. We can deal with it if your parents are invited since we don't have the space to have anyone here and remember if you say no I'll just have to break the law until you do say yes," he said knowing he won the argument. "Tempting… so yes we'll go," Peter agreed nipping at Neal's bottom lip.

Wrapping his arms around Peter's shoulders and held him. "What was your reason for marrying me and don't say because you thought I should settle down or that you are madly in love, I want the real reason," Neal said trying to know more about Peter's thinking about him. "The real reason huh…okay I didn't want anyone else to have you; I wanted to own every part of you and never let you go," Peter said. Touched at Peter's honesty Neal gave him a quick kiss. "I should get Ethan ready for bed but I'll be back for you," Neal said slipping off the couch and making his way to the top floor to get Ethan changed and ready to go to bed. "Okay buddy time for bed in your brand new bed with your super cool sheets," Neal said trying to psych Ethan up for having his own bed. "No…" Ethan said sitting on his bed with his arms crossed. "Yes… you're sleeping in here tonight no arguing or I won't take you to the children's museum tomorrow," Neal said trying to get back downstairs to Peter. "No… I don't wanna," Ethan argued as he slid off the bed and made his way to the door.

Catching Ethan Neal brought him back to the bed and sat him down. "Ethan… you will sleep in this bed tonight and that's final," Neal said putting his foot down. Pouting Ethan let his bottom lip quiver before he hopped off the bed and stomped out of the room and walked down the stairs using the railing and made his way down to the basement door. "Daddy!" he cried hoping to get Peter on his side. Peter came upstairs quickly and scooped Ethan into his arms. "Hey are you giving Neal trouble?" Peter asked with a smile as he carried the little boy to his room. "I'll make you a deal buddy, you try this room out tonight and stay in here all night I'll take you to the zoo next weekend," Peter promised as he put Ethan on his bed and pulled the comforter back.

"No I don't wanna," Ethan repeated as he kicked his feet back and forth to keep from being put to bed. Sighing Neal decided to back off. "What if I stay in here with you?" he asked hoping to come to a middle ground. Nodding Ethan crawled under the covers and pulled them up to his chin. Neal looked over at Peter and smirked before grabbing the closest storybook and opening to the first story as he began to read while Peter left the room and enter their bedroom. By the end of the first fairytale Neal could see Ethan starting to drift and began a second story making sure to take his time all the while watching Ethan drift farther and farther into the dream world. As soon as he was sure that Ethan was asleep Neal kissed his forehead before getting up and slipping out making sure the door was open a bit for Momo to come and go as he pleased before going to his own room.

Slipping over to his bed Neal sat down and smiled as he crawled close to Peter. "I just hope he doesn't wake up during the night," Neal said softly as he crawled over Peter's lap and took the file he was reading from him. Draping his arms over Peter's neck he laughed softly. "I love you…and I know I promised something special," Neal said his voice dropping a bit as he let himself get pulled into Peter's arms. Leaning in for another kiss they froze when they heard the door open but relaxed when they saw that it was just their dog and kissed again. "Tonight let's not push it just in case; beside when was the last time we have time to just be together?" Neal asked not moving from his position. Peter smirked and rolled Neal off of him and pulled him close. "I have to go into work early tomorrow; I might even end up staying late so don't wait up for me," Peter mumbled placing a couple small kisses on Neal's shoulder. "I'll make sure to be up and make you breakfast and lunch then," Neal said curling closely to his husband.

"Peter! We're going to be late… if we're going to drive to your sister's place we have to go now," Neal said as he grabbed Ethan and held him on his hip. "Jeez Neal, you didn't want to go yesterday when you found out my mother was going to be at my sister's for Thanksgiving dinner. Why did you change your mind overnight?" Peter asked as he came down the stairs to the kitchen "I won't let her bother me today also your sister promised to keep me in the kitchen to help with cooking. I also promised her a few nice bottles of wine so take Ethan to the car and I'll be right there," Neal remarked handing Ethan over as he grabbed a couple bottles and put them in a bag before walking outside with Peter and Ethan. "Momo…" Ethan said pointing to the dog in the window. Peter and Neal looked at one another. "I don't think Kara would mind would she… she has a farm so there is room," Neal argued as he went back for the dog and grabbed his leash and led him to the car. Peter rolled his eyes "You know my mother hates dogs they make her allergies flare up…" he said putting Ethan in his car seat of Neal's car. "Oh yeah… well that's a shame," Neal said feigning any interest in his mother in law. Getting the family into the car Neal grabbed his keys from Peter. "I'll drive, knowing our luck you're going to be on the phone with work the whole time," Neal said starting his car up and heading for the highway.

Arriving at the farm Neal parked on the side of the road and got out of the car with Peter. Taking Ethan out of the car seat in the back seat Neal held him on his hip as Peter hooked Momo's leash to his collar. "I see your parent's car… I was hoping to get here before them," Neal said as they walked up the stairs to the porch and knocked on the front door. When the front door opened Neal smiled. "You guys made it, come on in and this must be Ethan, Neal the pictures you send do not do him justice, hey there sweetie… Peter I could use some help with bringing some firewood in with Chuck and Neal those potatoes will not peel themselves, just heads up mom took her valium so she little out of it but she's still go her sass," Kara warned leading the others into the house.

Neal smiled as he put Ethan down on the floor by his cousins. "I'll right in there okay; you come get me if you need me for anything," Neal said as he patted Ethan on the head. Walking into the kitchen to join his sister and mother-in-law prepare dinner. Grabbing a knife the ex con grabbed a potato and began to peel it slowly. Making small talk about Ethan and the upcoming court date for the adoption Neal felt accepted by his sister-in-law even more. Finishing the potatoes Neal heard the telltale cry of his son. Going to the living room Neal found his son on the floor with a small cut on his forehead. "Oh what happened?" he asked picking Ethan up. "I fell down…" Ethan cried as he was carried to the bathroom. Neal quickly patched the small cut up before carrying his son outside and handed him over to Peter who was busy speaking to his brother-in-law about sports while they waited for the game to begin. Neal smiled as Peter rocked Ethan a bit and calmed him down. "I love watching you with him," Neal said softly as he put his hand on Ethan's back as he moved closer to Peter and kept his back facing as his in laws walked over.

"Peter…I see you made it with your family," Caroline said as she looked at Neal and the little boy in Peter's arms. Turning his head Ethan looked at his grandparents and smiled at them before making the motion to Neal to be carried. Grabbing the boy Neal held him close. "How about some juice then we'll go look at the baby sheep later," he said keeping the conversation civil hoping Peter would catch on and keep it going. Agreeing he put a hand on Neal's back he gave him a slight push toward the house.

Calling Momo after him, Neal walked back inside and put Ethan down before returning with a juice box. "Walk don't run Ethan or you'll fall down again," Neal warned although it fell on deaf ears. Helping Kara with the last of the food they finished the last of it just as the turkey was done cooking. As soon as everyone had a full plate and the children's plates loaded with more vegetables than cut up meat they began to eat and converse. "Stop feeding the dog your vegetables Richie," Kara said catching her five year old feeding a carrot to Momo who chomped it up in two bites. Trotting over to the table Momo sat down and sat back with his paws up to beg for food from Neal. Giving into his dog Neal gave Momo a large slice of turkey and shooed him from the table.

Peter walked with the other men to the living room to watch the game leaving his sister and mother to put the leftovers away with Neal. When the table was cleared and the food was separated between everyone to bring home Ethan walked into the kitchen carrying his favorite book, going over to Caroline he tugged on her pant leg and held the book up. Neal looked over at his mother-in-law. "You should be honored he doesn't take to strangers this quickly usually," he remarked watching closely hoping his son wouldn't be shunned. Kara joined Neal in watching and hoped there would be a bridge.

Caroline reached down and took the book from Ethan. "The kitchen is no place to read a book but that giant couch in the living room is the perfect place," she said taking Ethan's hand and leading him out of the kitchen. Following them to the doorway Neal watched as his mother-in-law help Ethan onto the couch and get comfortable to read. Going back into the kitchen with Kara they cracked the bottle of wine open he brought and poured a couple glasses for them as they went to sit on the porch. During halftime Peter walked around and saw Ethan being read to by his mother. Heading outside he found Neal and his sister sharing a bottle of wine. "There you are, we have a long drive home and it's almost Ethan's bed time come on and hand your keys over I'm driving," Peter said taking the empty glass from Neal and put it on the table.

"Yeah you're right we should get going and Kara gave me quite a lot of leftovers and she offered to watch Ethan if we ever want to go on a second honeymoon," Neal remarked as he found Ethan sound asleep on the couch. Picking him up and holding him close Neal carried him outside to the car and put him in his car seat as Peter loaded Momo into the back and put the food in the bag on the floor by Ethan before they said goodbye to everyone. Caroline looked at her son-in-law. "I still don't like you but that boy is darling… so I will give you a chance even if I believe you ruined my son's first marriage," she said giving a light nod to Neal. "Glad to know where we still stand," Neal remarked as he took Peter's hand to be defiant and gave him a light tug. Peter slid his arm around his husband's waist and led him to the car and took his keys.

Getting into the car they started to drive home. Neal sighed softly and grabbed Peter's hand and held it as they traveled to the highway. "It wasn't so bad with my mother today… she wasn't terrible and she seems to like Ethan," Peter said pulling onto the highway. "Yeah I know she was pretty good with him but we need to just be careful still about what she says to our son, and you promised that we could go look at that place June's friend found us just a block away…it has ten rooms and a garage, you promised we could see it," Neal said with a smile since he had fallen in love with the house from the pictures alone.

Sighing Peter nodded "Alright… we'll go this Saturday and look it over, but don't get your hopes up it's a lot of money." Peter held up his hand to stall Neal's already known retort, "I know what you're going to say you can pay for it but what about the place we own now who is going to buy that hideaway we have with just two bedrooms and no real room," he said bring reality to light. "I already have an offer sort of…Shawn and the boys want to move to the States and have agreed to pay us rent," the ex con remarked hoping that his husband would agree. Peter groaned slightly and glanced over at Neal and trying not to fold to him. Seeing that Peter was starting to crack the younger man smirked. "You know with a babysitter that close would mean that we could have Ethan spend a lot of time with his cousins especially having sleepovers and giving us the house," implying something with another smirk. Arriving home quite late Neal changed and put Ethan to bed and tucked him in with his stuffed seahorse.

Heading downstairs Neal put the food away and grabbed a sketch pad on the bookcase and pulled it down as Peter looked at him. "I'm going to sketch a while before bed…I'll see you up there soon," he said kissing Peter before he went upstairs for the night. Sitting at the kitchen table Neal started to sketch. As he began to draw possible layouts for new rooms Neal heard his phone start to buzz.

"Caffrey…" he said as he picked up.

"Hey there Caffrey…I got to say you have a really cute kid especially that seahorse he's got it fits him," Neal jumped up from the table nearly knocking his chair over and made his way upstairs quickly and found Ethan in bed still the room empty except for him and Momo. "Keller I don't know how knew that but that proves it you're not in prison," Neal said as he rushed into the bedroom and held the phone to Peter. Holding the phone up to his ear all he heard was a dial tone. "What? there's no one there," he said hanging the phone up. Taking his phone back Neal dropped it on the nightstand and dropped onto the edge of the bed. "It was Keller he told me how cute Ethan looked with his seahorse… tell me how he knows about that if he's sitting in a jail cell!" Neal exclaimed his voice raising a bit as he freaked out.

Peter walked out of the room and came back with a small cup of water and a distinct orange pill bottle and held the bottle out to Neal. "I don't want any… they make me feel fuzzy," Neal said looking away from the bottle. "It will calm you down and help you sleep, you had a long day and a lot of wine and your mind is just acting up…and you know that prisoners can get their hands on anything which means Keller got someone to slip him a phone and some information in the prison that's all…this obsession that your former partner is stalking you is really insane Neal so just take one of your pills and get some sleep it will help I promise," Peter said hoping to calm his husband down.

Neal slapped the bottle away and stared at Peter with fire in his eyes. "You think I'm crazy don't you…he called Peter… and I have seen him around the city and he was in our house…why won't you believe me? I hoped as my husband you would believe me, you can sleep downstairs tonight I don't want to be around you right now," Neal said as he shut the table lamp off and dropped onto the bed still dressed leaving the older man to find his own way out of the room in the dark. Making his way downstairs to the TV room Peter sighed as he dropped on the couch glad that he had changed out of his suit he had on earlier.

Waking early Neal went downstairs and found Momo pushing his bowl around and Ethan eating some toast as he stood on the kitchen chair to reach the table. "Where's Peter?" Neal asked looking around right away feeling something was off. "Work…" Ethan said finishing up his breakfast and hopping down from the chair. "Hey Ethan… can I ask you something?" Neal asked crouch down to Ethan's eye level getting a nod in response. "Your friend Mattie what does he look like," Neal asked wanting to get to the bottom of everything. "Tall," Ethan answered as he got bored with the conversation and went to find something to play with. Neal got worried and grabbed Ethan and brought him upstairs and started to change him in day clothes. "We're going for a little day trip buddy," he said when he was done and went to change his own clothes.

Getting Ethan into his car seat Neal got behind the wheel of his car and drove off. After an hour of driving Neal parked in the visitor's parking lot and unbuckled Ethan's car seat and carried his son toward the large stone building. Looking up at the prison the ex con swallowed hard as he went inside. "I want to see Warden Swift right now, tell him it's about Matthew Keller" Neal demanded as he held Ethan close to him. The warden came out of his office and looked Neal over for a moment. "Mr. Caffrey… you realize that I can't just let you walk into the prison but I will allow a five minute meeting in the visitor's room," Swift said as he had one of his men lead Neal to the room.

Waiting in the cold stone room Neal shivered a bit feeling out of place being a visitor at the prison. After a few minutes of waiting; the warden walked in followed by a lanky young man in a drab jumpsuit. Neal looked at man in charge and stood up as he pulled his cell phone out and snapped a picture of the man. "Thank you… this is all the information I need," he said putting his phone away and leaving the room. Leaving the prison Neal strapped Ethan into his car seat and got behind the wheel and started his car up. Driving down the highway Neal looked at the rearview mirror to look at his son. "After we go see daddy Peter we'll go to the playground then we'll go shopping for dinner and make something special tonight," he said as they pulled into the city and made their way down toward the financial district where the FBI building was.

Pulling up to the last stoplight Neal tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as he waited. When the light turned green he pulled away and through the intersection. The last thing Neal remembered was going through the green light before a dump truck plowed into his Porsche Cayenne sending it sideways and forcing it into a roll to come to a stop in the federal plaza on its roof sending people running in different directions to get out of the way.

Diana stepped off the elevator with Jones and Peter in tow to go to lunch when they found dozens of agents swarming the front door. Getting as close as possible she saw the people outside surrounding the accident. Looking over at Jones she saw that Peter was gone from the other agent's side. Peter recognized the car despite the extensive damage from the impact and rolling. Rushing outside through the throng of people Peter threw himself onto his knees ignoring the pain and looked through the broken windows of the car and found his son conscious and sobbing in the back seat his arms wrapped in a death grip around his stuffed seahorse. The small boy was still strapped into his car seat upside down. Moving carefully Peter got Ethan's arms around his neck along with his plush animal. "Hold on buddy I got you," Peter said as he managed to unbuckle the car seat one handed and get Ethan down carefully before crawling backwards out of the window and getting Ethan to safety. Looking around he waved Diana and Jones over and handed his son over to the agents before he went back to check on Neal.

Crawling closer to the car Peter steeled himself for what was possibly inside. Looking through the shattered window he saw Neal hanging upside down unconscious the left side of the car crushed in and against Neal's left side, his face bloody and burned from the air bag and steering wheel crashing into him. Reaching into the car he felt for Neal's pulse on Neal's neck when he couldn't find one he grabbed his hand and felt for a pulse on his wrist. Finding a weak but steady pulse he sighed and patted Neal on the cheek to wake him up. "Come on Neal wake up you need to stay conscious you probably have a serious concussion… come on Neal talk to me please," Peter begged. "Mmm…Peter… is Ethan okay?" the ex con asked softly as he forced his eyes open for a few seconds. "He's fine…a little scared but that's it, Diana has him right now," Peter said as he strained to hear the sirens of the emergency crews.

"He wasn't real…" Neal mumbled as he forced his eyes open again. "I have proof…on my phone," he added. Looking around Peter couldn't see any sign of the phone. Peter felt someone tug on his leg. Moving back he came face to face with a team of firemen and paramedics. Backing up to a safe distance he took Ethan in his arms and held him close as he watched the firemen pull out the Jaws of Life to free Neal from the twisted metal of the car. When the door was finally peeled away Peter stood stock still as Neal was pulled from the car. Moving over Peter stood there as Neal was strapped down onto the gurney and loaded unmoving into the ambulance. Diana took it upon herself to get Peter into the back explaining who he was and when all three family members were in the back the ambulance took off for the closest hospital. As they traveled through the busiest part of the city in record time Peter watched as Neal flat lined twice and was brought back.

Shaking in fear Peter got out of the ambulance after the paramedics and followed them as far as he could when he was stopped by the doors to the emergency room by a couple nurses. Peter was lost in his own thoughts unaware that the nurse was talking to him until she put her hand on his arm shaking him out of his thoughts. Peter allowed himself to be lead into a private waiting room. Taking a seat that was offered to him he rubbed Ethan's back trying to keep him calm as he continued to cry. "Sir I need to know you're relation to the young man that was brought in and any allergies he has and his blood type," she said being professional.

"He's O negative… he doesn't have any allergies that I know of and he's my husband his name is Neal Caffrey-Burke," Peter said as he finally brought himself out of his slump as she left to give the information to the doctors while another nurse came in and check Ethan over for any injuries and cleared him. Sitting in the private room Peter held himself together in attempt to keep from crying at the thought of losing Neal to something as trivial as a car accident especially weeks before their adoption was about to go through. Unable to do much else Peter just sat there and continued to comfort his son until he finally fell asleep from crying. Putting Ethan down on the small couch in the room Peter removed his jacket and used it as a blanket. Pacing around the room collecting his thoughts Peter tried to figure out how to tell everyone about the accident he knew that the news would travel fast at the FBI.

Two hours and seven phone calls later Peter was starting to lose steam he had moved from the small room on the first floor to a large waiting area on the tenth floor by the operating room they had moved Neal to once he had finally stabilized. Sitting back down Peter let Ethan crawl into his lap and hug him as they waited for any news on Neal's condition. After another hour of waiting Peter watched a doctor come out just moments before Neal was rolled out. "Mr. Burke…I'm your husband's doctor we need to talk," he said as he walked the agent to a private recovery room. "I need you to prepare yourself, your husband came in with a severely broken leg that broke in three places, a fractured collar bone, a broken arm, a broken nose and cheekbones he also had a cracked sternum, four broken ribs, and some major internal bleeding which we were able to stop. He has some head trauma as well from the force of the crash and the roll which has caused some swelling. What I'm trying to say is with this much trauma over such a wide spread of the body he has a very slim chance of making it… but every moment that passes and he's still breathing increases his chance of surviving this. Can I ask what kind of car he was in?" the doctor asked standing beside Neal's bed with Peter.

Processing everything Peter stared at Neal for a moment before responding. "Uh…a Porsche Cayenne with right side drive, why does that matter?" Peter asked finally breaking his gaze from Neal. "Well Mr. Burke being that he was on the other side of the T-boning that totaled the car saved him and your son's life according to the report from the paramedics he should have been killed instantly if he was driving on the left side," the man replied leaving Peter alone with Neal. Taking the seat by the bed Peter looked at Neal like he was made of glass terrified that if he touched him he would shatter into a million pieces. The machines around the bed beeped in a continuous drone showing the strength of Neal's heartbeat which Peter could tell was weak even without the machines. The younger man would have looked paler than snow had it not been for the massive broken blood vessels in his face. Ethan looked at Neal before looking up at Peter and tugging on his arm to get his attention.

Looking down Peter was cut off by a knock to the door of Neal's hospital room and turning he saw his agents standing on the other side. He waved them in as he kept Neal's hand in his and looked at them. "You better have some good news I could use it after the news I just got about Neal," Peter said as he rubbed his thumb over the back of Neal's hand wishing he would open his eyes again. "We had the car towed to the impound lot waiting for you to give the orders on what to do but we've already started looking into the accident but no one saw anything important," Jones said keeping his eyes down so he wouldn't have to look at Neal. "Why don't you get us something to drink…two coffees and if you can manage something juice like for Ethan," Diana said helping her partner from having to stay there any longer. Moving to the empty chair on the other side of Neal she watched how Peter touched Neal's hand softly and tried hard to hold back his tears. "I have his phone like you asked for it was under the driver's seat it must have gotten wedged under there during the crash," Diana said handing the pristine mobile phone over.

Peter stared at the wallpaper on the phone of the three of them at Thanksgiving the night before, swallowing hard he opened the photo folder on the phone and dropped the phone with a soft thump as it landed on the bed. Peter wanted to slam his head on the metal railing for being so stupid. "Neal told me that he had proof Keller wasn't in prison and he was right…this isn't Keller… I don't know who this is…" Peter said handing the phone back over for Diana to see. "How did that happen; then again Keller is the anti Caffrey he has caused us more trouble than Neal has ever thought of, so if Keller isn't in prison where the hell is he?" Diana asked. "Neal said something last night about seeing him all around the city that he was stalking him… and that he called last night. Diana I want you go back to the office with Jones and track the calls on Neal's phone from last night around nine and find Keller… if I were out there looking for him I probably would just end up shooting him," Peter said as he kept a protective arm around Ethan and a hawk like gaze on Neal.

Diana got ready to leave with a wary Jones in tow after he returned with coffee and a bottle of juice for Ethan. She thought back to moments before Jones entered the room when Peter showed his son the photo of the real Matthew Keller on his phone and Ethan confirmed their worst fear when he said that was his friend Mattie. Peter rubbed his face to try and rub away the feeling he had that he hadn't listened to Neal or believed him. When the other agents left Peter sat Ethan down on another chair and looked at him. "Ethan… that guy Mattie… is not your friend in fact he's a bad man and I don't want you to go near him again…do you understand me? If you ever see him again you run away," Peter said in a forceful tone hoping Ethan understood.

By dinner time the number of guests for Neal had doubled when his mother and brother arrived from Ireland tired but worried and were out in the waiting room with Ethan while he ate. Peter sat motionless by Neal bed and only moved once so the nurse could check on his husband. When he was alone again Peter sighed and continued to hold Neal's hand and rub it. "You need to wake up Neal…I'm sorry I fought with you last night, you were right Keller is out and I'm going to find him once you're better," he whispered standing up a bit and placing a kiss on Neal's forehead. "I…I'll never get tired of hearing that I was right…" Neal mumbled finally opening his eyes his pupils wide from the drugs he was given to lessen his pain all over. "Why do I feel so light?" he asked trying to raise his hand only to have Peter hold it down. "You're on the highest amount of pain killers they are allowed to give you right now… so you're going to be a little loopy for a good long while. The doctor said we have to keep you on these drugs for at least a couple weeks," Peter said softly repeatedly brushing the hair from Neal's face.

"Hopped up on drugs and having a sexy hand maid until I'm released doesn't sound bad at all, and I can milk this for all it's worth too," Neal mumbled as he closed his eyes again and fell to the strong pull of the pain killers. Peter gave a weak smile wishing that he could just take Neal home and lock him away to keep him safe. "I'm just glad you're still alive, I'm never letting you out of my sight again; you get into too much trouble on your own," Peter remarked as he tucked Neal in and finally got up from the chair and stretched. Walking from the bedside slowly Peter went out into the waiting room to update the others as a nurse went in to do her routine check. "Neal woke up, he's a bit out of it from the drugs but that's expected," he said taking a seat next to the couch Ethan was using as a bed using everyone's coats and hoodies as bedding. "I'm going to try and find something to eat downstairs if either of them wakes up again just call me," Peter said as he headed for the elevator. As he waited the doors opened to reveal his boss and two other agents he knew only in passing and not in name. They stepped off letting Peter get on and the doors close so Peter was alone with Hughes. "I managed to get authorization for a pair of guards for tonight only I'm afraid with the damming evidence that Keller is still on the lose the higher-ups don't want it getting out. FBI presence here for the duration of Neal's stay would look bad so this is all you get…now explain to me how the hell this happened?" Hughes asked locking eyes with Peter.

Unable to help it Peter shrugged his shoulders. "I have no idea; I know he was delivered to that prison and signed in because I was the one who did it so this means it's on my head. I've arrested two separate people and they both broke out of prison… one of which I married… I'm guessing this looks bad," Peter asked worried. Hughes sighed and nodded. "The heads down in D.C. are sending a reviewer to study and watch you work for the next few cases to deem if your still a worthy agent or we put you out to pasture and from what I've heard on the grapevine you wouldn't be hurting for money for a long time if that did happen but I know you aren't letting him throw that money around since you do have a child to raise so maybe they will take that into consideration…" Hughes remarked as the doors opened in the lobby.

Peter walked out and headed for the cafeteria where he found it still open and got a simple burger and fries and ate quickly before returning upstairs where he found the two agents already outside Neal's door. Their presence alone made the whole wing feel safer. Walking back into the room Peter saw Neal awake again with his doctor talking. "Ah Mr. Burke your back, I'm happy to see Neal is doing much better than he was a few hours ago I rechecked him and he's much farther from death's door than he was he's still going to be a guest here for a couple weeks but we don't have to be as worried about him anymore," the doctor said writing some notes down on Neal's chart. "You had all of us worried Mr. Caffrey it's a good thing that you have a real guardian angel out there, also doctor Reynolds will be in to see about your nose we did set it but he has to make sure that no more surgery other than that is needed. And take it easy on the talking you don't feel it but your cheekbones are broken too," he added looking at Neal with a look that said he would regret all the talking he was doing.

Neal nodded as best he could and got comfortable again, now that he was awake and in less danger he was bored. The most recent MRI that the doctor had done showed the swelling had gone down significantly and there was less to worry about. "Peter if you love me you will get me some wine and real food for dinner," Neal said as the orderly came in with a tray of something that resembled a foam cup of soup and a bottle of juice. "Ah… no more talking and it will be fine it's just until you're released," he said helping Neal sit up with the controls on the bed so he could eat. Whimpering at the sight of the cheap broth Neal would have wrinkled his nose if it wasn't taped into place to set and heal. "Just eat a little or else their going to have someone less sweet and caring feed you," Peter said seeing the change in the younger man right away eager to eat something.

Six spoonfuls later Neal felt so nauseated at the so called soup that he begged Peter to stop feeding him. "Peter if you loved me you would find a way to get me a bottle of wine," he said waiting for the soup to be taken away. "No wine, you're not supposed to mix wine and painkillers, now are you up for another visitor for a few minutes?" Peter asked throwing the soup away and getting a nod from Neal. Walking out of the room for a minute and came back with Ethan in his arms who was still looking sleepy since he had just woken from his nap. "Okay buddy now you can only stay for a few minutes Neal needs his rest to get better," he said as he sat Ethan down on the bed on the side opposite Neal's surgery dressings and broken ribs.

Throwing himself against Neal the stuffed seahorse taking most of the impact Ethan cried against Neal's chest. Rubbing a hand carefully on Ethan's back Neal looked up at his husband and partner. "Will it be okay if he stays a while; In fact you can all stay? I don't really want to be alone tonight is all I just wish that this accident never happened. Not only did I put Ethan in danger but it's my fault for doing it. I brought him with me to prove Keller wasn't in jail…I'm a horrible person and don't deserve him or you right now," Neal said softly as he tried to get comfortable on the hospital bed. Peter leaned over and put a hand by Neal's head and leaned in until their foreheads were touching. "You are not a horrible person in fact you're the greatest parent I've ever seen. You're amazing with Ethan and I don't ever want to hear you put yourself down again," Peter said as he kissed Neal's forehead softly before sitting back down beside the bed.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Five weeks later Neal found himself sitting up in bed for his final checkup before being released. "Well Mr. Caffrey you keep that leg up for another week and you'll be able to get that air cast off," the doctor said as he handed Neal his pair of crutches. Getting up on the crutches Neal balanced himself and sighed as he started to walk around carefully as Peter walked in with Ethan beside him. "Hey you're looking a lot better," he said as he grabbed Neal's bag of clothes and slung it over his shoulder as he walked out of the room toward the elevator. Heading home Peter helped Neal inside the Christmas decorated house. Neal smiled at everything and made his way over to the small couch and sat down letting Peter pamper him while he could still enjoy it. "I'm going to go get your prescription I'll be back in ten minutes at the most," Peter said as he made sure Neal was comfortable and Ethan had a coloring book to keep him busy.

Sighing softly Neal got comfortable and watched Ethan dump his crayons out on the coffee table before opening the book to a new picture. Smiling as he watched his son. Neal thought back to the week before when Peter and Mozzie had managed to pull some strings to get the judge that was hearing their adoption case to come to the hospital with the court reporter and do the adoption proceedings there.

Peter returned with Neal's pain killers and helped his husband upstairs to bed. "I can't wait to get this cast off my leg; I miss running around with Ethan and jogging in the morning… I'm glad that house hasn't sold yet we can still go look at it," Neal said with a huge grin as he got comfortable in bed. Peter gave a weak smile "Neal I know you have your heart set on that place but it's six million to buy it and that's not figuring in the taxes, we'll go look at it but I can't promise we'll get it," he said putting an arm around Neal and holding him a hidden smile on his lips when Neal looked away.

"I know it's a lot but it's also a lot of space that we could use especially with a son and a dog… it's not like we'll be moving to a whole new part of the city we would just be going a block over is all," Neal said trying to get Peter to his side of thought. "You rest, we'll talk more later about that house; oh by the way June called before I came to get you to say that she picked up everything you wrote on the list and she has it all at her place. As soon as you get your cast off you can pick it up. Also the insurance company has paid for a new car and I was thinking you were lucky this time with a sports car but maybe you should get something more family oriented and rated higher in safety. You need to buckle down and be more mature; Neal you need a car that is safe and one we can rely on…I won't go through all this again or worse," Peter said pulling Neal close.

Nodding Neal sighed he liked his sporty cars but he knew he could find something he and Peter both agreed on. "I have a feeling you already told my family not to even think of getting me another car for this Christmas," Neal said with a smile. Peter chuckled and kissed Neal's temple. "Get some rest maybe take a nap you look tired, I promise by the time you wake up I'll have dinner ready for you," the agent said as he slipped off the bed. Rolling on his side Neal kept his leg out a bit and relaxed on the large bed and slowly fell asleep.

* * *

Making his way downstairs Peter found Ethan drawing on the wall. "Hey buddy what are you doing down here?" Peter asked walking up behind Ethan and looking down at his son. "Art…" the little boy responded as he continued to doodle on the wall making quite a large mess that Peter knew he would end up cleaning up. "Well buddy you need to stop that right now and use a coloring book; remember you're not supposed to draw on the walls," the agent said putting down his foot on the subject as he grabbed Ethan's hand and pulled it from the wall. Pulling to get out of Peter's reach Ethan cried and stomped his feet before kicking the box of crayons all over the floor. "Okay mister you're on your way to a time out… now pick up your crayons and then go to your room," Peter said hating to always be the rule giver since Neal never punished Ethan. When Ethan made no move to obey Peter carried him upstairs and sat him on his bed. "Time out; now you sit right there and don't come out until you're ready to pick up your crayons," he said walking out of the room and heading into the master bedroom.

"I wish you wouldn't stifle him like that…so he drew on the wall with crayon it can be washed off. He's only three Peter let him be wild while he still can before he has to conform to the rules like everyone else," Neal said giving a sigh. "Neal you spent more than two hundred dollars on toys for him and art supplies. He has an easel to draw on; he can express his creativity on that not on our walls and since you're in bed I've got to go clean the mess he made," Peter said sighing. Neal sighed and sat up and looked down a bit "Peter…I'm not going to agree with you on this, I want Ethan to express himself with his art and if wants to draw on the wall then let him he's not hurting anyone," he argued looking up and throwing his legs off the bed and pushed himself up to stand on his good leg.

Before he could take a step Peter was in front of Neal "You might be okay with it but I will not sit back and let our son become like you and end up running from the FBI and in jail the rest of his life," Peter yelled back with enough force to scare the dog out of the room with his tail between his legs. "Drawing on the walls is not going to turn him into a criminal," Neal yelled back his hair falling into his face. Taking a step on his injured leg Neal crumbled to the floor hard. Forgetting his anger Peter was at Neal's side helping him back up and holding him close. "You realize we have years to keep him on the straight and narrow we shouldn't fight about this…" the ex con said putting his arms around his husband. Helping Neal back onto the bed Peter sighed and smiled. "You're right for all we know he could grow up to be a marine biologist… and worst case scenario male stripper," he said earning a groan from the younger man. "Don't even joke about that, now why don't you go get Ethan and bring him in here," he said sitting up and getting comfortable.

Leaving the bedroom Peter came back with his son and sat on the bed with him. "Now Ethan you know you're not supposed to draw on the walls but if you do it from time to time that's okay just don't make it huge," he said finally breaking down in the fight against the established rules of parenting. Nodding Ethan moved and hugged Peter before moving over to Neal. "Since that's been settled I'm going to the store to pick up some stuff for dinner, I also have to go into the city to pick up some things from work for a case they want some consulting done on… I said no before while you were still in the hospital but now I need to keep you busy so you don't go robbing everyone," Peter said with a smile as he watched Ethan get down from the bed and run off to play in his room.

"Peter…if you're going out could you leave your gun behind I don't want to be alone if I don't have to but if I do then I want some more protection," Neal said looking up worried. Peter put both his hands on the side of Neal's face and smiled at him. "You're going to be fine, Momo is here to protect you and Keller wouldn't dare come in here the FBI is looking all over the country for him not to mention some other means as well but if you really want it then here," Peter said pulling his gun out of his drawer and showed it to Neal before putting it back in and leaving the drawer unlocked. Making sure that Neal was okay with him leaving Peter went downstairs and found Momo chewing on a chew toy and crouched to the dog's level. "You guard this house alright…those two are the most important people in my life," Peter said looking into the dog's brown eyes knowing that they had a silent agreement.

Making sure the front door was locked tight Peter he got into his car and drove into the city and went to the office to actually get some work done finally after being cooped up in the hospital room with Neal and Ethan. After learning from his report that the hunt for Keller was going nowhere Peter sighed and changed tactics and ordered his agents to his neighborhood to ask neighbors about Keller. Sitting at his desk Peter stared at the family picture of him, Neal and Ethan at the park. Slowly standing up the agent paced his office trying to think of how to track the conman down.

* * *

Neal sighed as he tried to get comfortable in bed; he closed his eyes and sighed again when he couldn't get comfortable. Realizing the reason for his unrest was because he felt he wasn't someone other than him and Ethan was in the house Neal struggled to his feet he before limping out of the master bedroom with his cell phone in hand to the top of the stairs. "Peter…Peter is that you downstairs?" Neal called feeling a heavy sense of déjà vu. Limping into Ethan's room Neal saw his son playing with his blocks. Ethan looked up past Neal and gave a small wave; spinning around Neal looked out on the landing and saw Keller standing there with a small hand gun handle showing from his belt. Moving slowly Neal kept his eyes on Keller as he motioned for Ethan to stand up so he could bend down and pick him up. "Don't hurt us…the FBI is only after you for escaping prison…" Neal said moving back into the corner and keeping Ethan close.

"I'm not going to hurt you Caffrey at least not right away…now get over here we're going for a little trip," Keller said taking his gun out and waving it toward the bedroom door. Neal stood his ground and turned away slipping his cellphone into Ethan's pocket after hitting the speed dial for Peter's work number he waited until heard the other line pick up before speaking. "When Peter finds out he's going to find you… he won't take you threatening his family like this with a gun," Neal said hoping his phone picked up his voice.

Keller rolled his eyes "I told you I'm not going to hurt you so you can put the kid down. I'm also not going to hurt your kid I have some morals…"Keller said watching his ex-partner cower in the corner. Neal held Ethan closer to keep him calm before letting out a loud whistle. Keller wanted to roll his eyes again until he heard a deep growl behind him, turning around he saw the young German Sheppard moving closer his teeth barred. "I've got a gun you stupid…" but before he could finish his threat Neal hit him with a lamp knocking him to the floor while he kept Ethan on his hip. Momo walked over and sat on Keller keeping him pinned to the ground with his weight growling at every movement he made.

Neal limped out of Ethan's room and sat against the wall as he kept Ethan close while he waited for the FBI to show up and arrest Keller. Sitting there Neal took in a shuddering breath as he heard the front door crash open. "We're up here…" Neal called out as he looked down the stairs and saw Peter standing there. "Do I get a reward?" he asked with a small chuckle as Peter and Jones moved upstairs and arrested Keller with a chuckle. Helping his husband to his feet Peter smirked. "Yes you do, it's called dinner with you family tonight," he said putting his arms around Neal. "Best reward ever then," Neal said as he watched Jones lead the other con down the stairs.

* * *

When the FBI finally left Neal brought Ethan into the master bedroom and sat down and held him close. Peter walked into the room and pulled his family into his arms as Momo came in and put his head on Peter's leg. "Good boy Momo you're get a new bone for this one," Peter said as he stroked the dog's head. "Can we watch a movie?" Ethan asked as he stayed in Neal's arms. Peter nodded and turned the television on and looked through the movie channels for something they could watch as a family.

Halfway through the movie Peter looked over and saw Neal and Ethan curled against him on either side asleep. Moving off the bed Peter slipped downstairs and made some dinner and ate quickly before feeding Momo. Opening his laptop Peter began to write an email in response to one he had gotten the day before. Hearing the telltale sound of Neal coming down the stairs he saved the email and closed his laptop quickly and turned to see Neal looking at him. "I was wondering where you went too, I just wanted to say thank you for getting here so fast," Neal said as he leaned over Peter's shoulder and kissed him. "You know…Ethan is sound asleep upstairs," Neal said as he slipped onto Peter's lap and smirked at his husband.

"I know and I also know that it's been a while," Peter remarked pulling Neal into another kiss. When they broke for air Neal sighed. "Christmas is in two weeks and I didn't get to do any shopping yet for your gifts yet," Neal said softly feeling like a terrible person. Peter smiled and kissed the other man again. "You and Ethan being alive is the best gift I could have this year," he said softly putting his forehead against Neal's before leaning in and kissing him again with more force. Lost in their own world they didn't hear Ethan come downstairs. Peter jumped when he felt Ethan tug on his arm and dropped Neal on the floor. "Ouch… jeez Peter," Neal remarked rubbing his backside to take away the sting of the wood floor.

Rolling his eyes Peter looks at his son and smiles. "Hey buddy, what's up?" he asked with a smile. "I'm hungry…"the little boy said with a smile. "Okay how about macaroni and cheese and chicken fingers?" Peter asked as he helped Neal up and sat him in a chair before helping Ethan onto a chair as well before he started to make dinner. Once dinner was placed before them Peter grabbed a beer and sat beside Neal and stole some food from Neal's plate. As soon as Ethan was done Peter looked at the clock. "Well it's getting late time for your bath," Peter said smiling as Ethan got off his chair and took Peter's hand and went upstairs.

Taking advantage of being alone Neal grabbed Peter's laptop and opened it and was met with a prompt for a password. Tapping his fingers on the table he stared at the screen before trying a few different passwords. After ten failures Neal sighed and looked around the hoping a clue would just hit him. "You're not going to figure out my password so don't even think about it…"Peter said as he moved closer and shut the computer down and took it from Neal. Huffing loudly Neal sat back and pouted that he was caught. "Why don't you go up there Ethan wants you to read to him before he falls asleep," Peter said softly. "Okay I'll be up in a minute, hey you don't have to take your computer with you, you know," Neal remarked as Peter made his way downstairs.

Peter stopped and looked at Neal. "Nice try… but you're not allowed to touch my laptop for a while," Peter said as he disappeared downstairs and sat on the couch with his laptop and checked his email. Smirking at the most recent email he received Peter wrote another back before shutting his computer down and putting his laptop on the top of the bookshelf making sure it was out of sight and out of reach before heading back upstairs to be with his family only to find Neal and Ethan asleep on the master bed together the book Neal had been reading on his chest. Getting ready for bed Peter shut the light off and got into bed as well.

* * *

As the week dragged on Neal did some online shopping looking for the perfect gift for Peter. Looking up he watched Ethan watching the children programing on the television. "Ethan what do you want to get Peter for Christmas?" Neal asked as the little boy came over and shrugged as he crawled onto the couch. Neal thought for a moment and found a sports memorabilia site and started to scroll through everything baseball related until he found some Yankees signed balls and cards. "I wish I knew what Peter liked more…" he groaned as he put his head back and sighed.

By lunch time Peter arrived home and found Neal freaking out over gifts for him. "You know what…stop worrying," Peter said in Neal's ear making him jump. "Hey… I was wondering when you were going to get home…" Neal said putting his arms around Peter and pulling him into a kiss. Breaking for air Peter smirked. "If you feel the need to get me a gift I could use some new ties… and suits… and you would love to shop for me wouldn't you?" he asked chuckling. Neal smirked and kissed his husband again. "Only the best for you, Armani and Gucci," Neal mumbled with a smile. Peter pulled away after one more kiss and made his way to the kitchen to make something to eat. "Don't forget I'm taking you to your appointment in an hour to get your cast off," Peter said sitting at the table.

After a long appointment Neal looked at his leg that was cast free and smiled. "Feels good to be free even if I'm on a cane for a week," Neal said smirking as he walked out of the doctor's office with Peter and Ethan. Peter smiled as he kept close to Neal as they walked to the car. "So are we still heading to Ireland for the holidays?" Peter asked as they got Ethan strapped into his car seat. "Actually I called my mom from the hospital and told her we're going to spend the holidays at home this year and since your sister offered to watch Ethan on New Year's so that we can go to this party we've been invited to in the city at the Rush Art Gallery. There is a small art show and wine tasting don't worry it's not all night then we can go home and do whatever we like to ring in the new year, unless you rather we stay home and just have a private date," the ex con said as he snapped his seatbelt in.

"We should have a date night. It has been too long," Peter said as he drove home with his family. "I've got to go back to work and I'll be late coming home so don't wait up for me. I have to make up all the hours I keep missing and besides this way you can shop online for my gifts," Peter remarked as he pulled up to the house and dropped Neal and Ethan off. Neal watched Peter drive off, "Come on kiddo let's go get Momo so we can take a walk to the park and the store for something to eat before we order Peter's gifts," he said as he led Ethan inside and got the dog hooked up and left the house.

* * *

When Christmas finally arrived Neal was ecstatic that it was Christmas Eve. Sitting on the loveseat Neal watched Peter as he poured a couple glasses of wine. "This is our first Christmas as a family, and last year doesn't count we were engaged only…" he remarked getting up and carrying a small gift over to Peter. "Open it…"After ripping the paper off the small box Peter looked up with a quizzical look on his face. "A set of house keys; what are these for?" Peter asked sounding a bit worried. Neal smiled and waited for Peter to go through the rest of the box that held a deed and a picture. "It's a fixer upper cabin on the opposite side of the lake where we had our honeymoon," Neal said just as Peter pulled him into a deep kiss before breaking away. "I don't say this enough but I do love you so much Neal," the agent said glancing at the clock.

"It's after midnight, so I guess I can give you your gift as well but we have to go downstairs for it," Peter said handing Neal one glass of wine before leading him downstairs to the couch by the hand. Sitting Neal down Peter grabbed a good sized box from under the tree and handed it over. Neal weighed the gift in his hand before peeling the paper back and opening the box Neal looked up a look of pure shock on his face. "Peter…this is real… but how…the market value is well a lot," Neal remarked his brain slowly shutting down at the sight in front of him. Neal looked down again at the painting Peter had given him by his favorite artist. Though it wasn't his most famous works it was still expensive.

Getting up Neal put the painting safely on the desk in the corner before smirking. "I'll be right back, oh and no peeking, I had another gift for you…" he said as he went into the downstairs bathroom and came back out after a few minutes very quietly. "You know I might not get anything from Santa tonight you know how he dislikes naughty people… but I know you like it when I'm naughty," Neal said as he walked into Peter's line of sight dressed in red pants that hung low on his hips the top and cuffs at the bottom lined with fake white fur. Peter looked Neal over and smirked.

"You will stay on the naughty list for sure if you keep dressing like that," he remarked with a smirk.

"Ho…ho… ho," Neal said laughing getting a smirk from Peter. "Look who's talking," Neal laughed and straddled Peter's lap and yanked Peter into a kiss. Smirking into the kiss Peter broke for air and pulled Neal closer and looked at him. "Come on let's head upstairs," he mumbled letting Neal climb off his lap. Heading back upstairs Neal looked in on Ethan for a moment he smiled at the sight and closed the door before going into their room and closing the master room door and sat on the bed. "Merry Christmas, Babe," Neal said with a smirk.


End file.
